METUCHEN — With the downtown at the forefront of discussions in the borough, those invested in bringing Main Street and surrounding areas to their full potential are stepping up to formulate the first steps of the process.
Acceptance into the Main Street New Jersey (MSNJ) program at the associate level last fall provided Metuchen with resources to help maximize the health of the downtown.
“Our downtown is good, but the Main Street program can really take it to the next level,” Councilwoman Allison Inserro said.
Metuchen’s membership in the program came thanks to Inserro’s efforts. Run by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, MSNJ is the certified state-coordinating program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center. While the associate level of the program offers the fewest services to towns, Inserro said it is a good starting point for Metuchen.
Inserro invited MSNJ Director Jef Buehler to come and speak to officials, business owners and members of the public about the various components of a successful downtown. About 60 people gathered at the Metuchen Senior Center on March 25 to hear his insights.
He elaborated on the four-part approach to revitalizing downtowns, which consists of organization, economic restructuring, design and promotion.
Pointing out that downtowns thrived in past decades before the boom of big-box stores and malls, Buehler laid out in his presentation how downtown merchants can borrow from successful features of such businesses — like controlled hours of operation, physical environment, marketing and tenant mix — to glean the same sort of prosperity.
“It’s not about going back in time to live in the past. … It’s about using the assets of the past to build a dynamic present and future for our communities,” Buehler said in his presentation.
To that end, another focus was on historic preservation and using existing assets to help create a sense of place.
Along with emphasizing the importance of organizing stakeholders, doing the right kinds of marketing and beautifying the downtown in a variety of ways, Buehler shared statistics that could help Metuchen businesses optimize sales.
For example, he said 70 percent of goods and services are sold after 4 p.m.
Amid his presentation, Buehler offered those in attendance a paid registration for someone willing to travel to Atlanta for the 2015 National Main Streets Conference, March 30 to April 2.
Ruchir Mewawala — who, along with his wife, Somal, owns the recently opened Buddha’s Loft salon on Main Street, along with decade-old Rose Events — stepped up to volunteer.
“Being an entrepreneur for all these years … I saw an opportunity, and I saw the energy in the room, and I felt the same sentiment,” Mewawala said.
His involvement in the downtown is nothing new.
“Many, many years ago, my dad owned Corner Confectionary, where I basically grew up and learned to appreciate the retail side of things,” he said of the former Main Street store.
Inserro said his willingness to fly down to the conference at such short notice is a testament to his dedication to the borough.
“He’s very invested,” she said. “It’s just overwhelming that he was able to do that.”
Mewawala said he got a lot out of the conference, both personally as a business owner and for the borough as a whole.
“I think the biggest takeaway from the conference was the spirit and the energy of about 1,400 like-minded people … who believe in small-town America,” he said.
Mewawala added that it was heartening to see Montclair among one of three towns throughout the country honored with a Great American Main Street Award.
He said he befriended officials from Montclair, who promised to provide him, along with borough officials, with a tour of their downtown.
Inserro, along with Councilman Jay Muldoon and Councilwoman Dorothy Rasmussen, have plans to meet with Mewawala to discuss the conference.
The next step is to form a Stakeholder Team made up of officials, business owners, landlords, Chamber of Commerce members and others. According to Muldoon, that group will move forward with forming a nonprofit, organizing a board of trustees, finding an executive director/downtown manager, and formulating a vision and mission.
“The thing that’s going to make this fly is the community taking leadership of it,” he said, adding, “And that takes time.”
Inserro echoed his sentiments, recognizing the support of the council and the community as a whole while acknowledging the long road ahead.
“Right now, we’re still in the baby-steps stage,” she said. “A true public-private partnership will really move this forward.”
According to Inserro and Muldoon, Chris Crane, co-owner of the Criterion Publishing Co., attempted in years past to get the borough involved in the MSNJ program, but didn’t get the necessary backing from officials at the time.
Now, however, the current governing body is stepping up to do its part.
“The borough’s role is really to shepherd and guide this process,” Inserro said.
Mewawala praised officials’ support of it.
“I think in addition to the citizens, the borough is actually propelling this,” he said, adding, “The energy is there — now is the time, more than ever.”