A much-needed facelift to Secaucus’ downtown business district is beginning to yield noticeable results.
The island outside Marra Drugs has been redesigned with park benches and freshly planted flowers; directional signs have gone up pointing the way to various businesses; and a new $26,000, 16-foot town clock should arrive any day now.
But this revitalization effort has taken place against the backdrop of the worst economic downturn in memory – an economic slump that has sunk businesses everywhere, including here in Secaucus.
Within the past year, Suga, Fifth & Front, the Flower Box, Weichert Realtors, and Family Video Plus have shuttered businesses in the center of town.
“That’s a lot for a small area,” said Mayor Michael Gonnelli, who met with local business leaders on Dec. 10 to get their input on ways to support the hurting Mom and Pop shops in town and bring new life to the Plaza. “It’s disturbing to drive through the center of town and see so many storefronts that are empty.”
“We should become adept at using…links from the town’s web site, to drive traffic to local businesses.” – Richard Donato
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Since the summer the town has been exploring ways to invigorate local commerce and lure commuter and tourist dollars.
The local population, according to the mayor, swells to 60,000 people each weekday, thanks largely to commuters who work in town. And, he said last week, “We have a 90 percent occupancy rate [in our hotels]. Many of these people are tourists visiting New York. But quite a few business travelers stay in our hotels over an extended period of time. We need to try to capture these audiences.”
Secaucus has about 15 hotels that include roughly 2,900 rooms, total, according to Town Administrator David Drumeler. The town already collects a three percent tax on each room rented. It now hopes to encourage commuters and tourists to spend more of their time and money in Secaucus.
“I don’t want to see any more businesses closing their doors,” Gonnelli said. “We need to bring some life back to the center of town, and we have a lot of ideas to make that happen. But we’re going to need to work with the businesses to accomplish them.”
Pooling resources for better marketing
About 40 business owners, representing more than18 independently owned restaurants, specialty stores, and other shops, attended the Dec. 10 meeting with the town. At the mayor’s request they agreed to reform the local business association that disbanded in the 1990s.
“Sometimes it’s hard to compete against the big chains like Walmart. But if we join together we may be able to save on some expenses, like advertising,” said Joseph Marra, head pharmacist at Marra Drugs, the pharmacy his family has owned in town for more than 85 years. Marra’s uncle, Angelo Marra, had been one of the founders of the Plaza Central Business Association in the 1980s. “If we’re able to promote ourselves as a group, that should save us some money and help everyone collectively.”
The need for improved marketing and promotion was a major topic discussed at the Dec. 10 meeting, which both Marras attended.
“A lot of tourists who come to the area use a lot of web-based search tools,” Richard Donato, who co-owns the Bagel Buffet with his brother John Donato and who attended the meeting with the town, told the Reporter last week. “We should become adept at using the town’s web site, and links from the town’s web site, to drive traffic to local businesses.”
Developing a directory of Secaucus businesses that could be distributed around town, including the hotels, was also discussed.
“A few weeks ago, over at Harmon Cove, I ran into these guys from Holland. They were staying in town and they were looking for something to do,” Gonnelli recalled. “We want to have something to offer so people know where they can go and what they can do in town to have fun.”
Challenges remain
Increased traffic to the center of town will, Angelo Marra said, exacerbate an ongoing problem in the Plaza: the need for more parking.
“That’s been a problem for a long time,” said Marra, who supports the town’s efforts to attract tourists and office workers to the center of town. “Where will they all park?” he asked, noting that the current metered parking lots are more conducive to running quick errands, and less conductive to leisurely lunches and a stroll through the center of town.
Gonnelli said he will ask the Town Council to consider making improvements to the local shuttle service in town, which currently runs from the Frank R. Lautenberg Rail Station to the Plaza, but services few office buildings and hotels.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.