Thanksgiving Screams: Shop G'wood! Garwood is a walkable town, lots of sidewalks, crosswalks and storefronts that face the street. But, Garwood doesn't have much retail to speak of and is dwarfed in size and scope to neighbors Cranford and Westfield.
Don't be mistaken Garwood does have a Downtown unlike Clark or Mountainside that rely solely on suburban style strip malls for commerce.
Garwood's Downtown needs some work though, but, is dripping with potential.
Residents seem to agree, but say it's hard to shop in the borough when there are so few shops. In a poll 365 conducted on whether locals go out of their way to shop in town, the primary reason many didn't, was the lack of options. One commenter joked, unless of course you need a mechanic.
However, shopping local for food is quite easy in town, and no holiday attracts foodie shoppers more than Thanksgiving.
Garwood's Kings, Shop Rite and Pathmark are all local businesses that pay taxes, lease valuable space, and employ locals. Shop there.
But, don't stop your local food shopping spree there-- pick up your turkey or other meats at Al's on North Avenue, or your thanksgiving spirits on Center Street. Not cooking- eat at Rosie's or order-in from Lorenzo's.
Thanksgiving offers a perfect opportunity to stay local and shop local. And, maybe if businesses in town rake in some profits, others will come knocking, looking for space to rent Downtown.
Garwood has no chamber of commerce, merchants group, or Downtown booster, so its up to residents to prop up the Industrial Center of Union County and make it a destination for locals and visitors alike.
Great article JM -- Support your town's economy especially the local non-chains... I believe a new Italian/BBQ (?) has opened next door to Garwood Lanes... its worth checking out something new at least once!
ReplyDeleteLike you said, there's no Chamber of Commerce but there is a Meetup group at http://www.meetup.com/Central-New-Jersey-Business-Networkers/.
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