Hard work is transforming downtown Bloomfield

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Slowly but surely, according to several prognosticators, Bloomfield Center is moving in the right direction.

At the redevelopment project located at Broad and Liberty streets, it is reported that 100 percent of the residences are occupied, although at ground level retail space remains nearly vacant. According to Jonathan Schwartz, a principal of BNE Real Estate Group which owns the property, named “The Green,” a hamburger restaurant will be opening at the Liberty Street corner in about 90 days.

“It’s a great space for a restaurant,” he said in a recent interview. “There’s some basement for food storage.”
But the entire retail area of the project is currently a single 10,000-square-foot unfinished room, except for the corner hamburger endeavor. Schwartz anticipates there eventually will be four retail tenants with stores between 1,500 to 3,000 square feet in size.

“It’s first come, first served,” he said.
Although it is unknown what businesses will come, Schwartz suggested a pizza shop or nail salon, as two possibilities, for the location.

The Green opened September 2016 and has 140 residential units. Schwartz said 75 percent were one-bedrooms, at 750 square feet; and 25 percent were two-bedrooms and 1,100 square feet. One-bedroom units start at $1,800 per month. The two-bedrooms start at $2,300 per month. He said only a few children live in The Green. Although the retail area is mostly unfinished, Schwartz is optimistic.

The Green is in an area embraced by the Bloomfield Center Alliance, an organization which promotes the downtown. Liberty Street, at Broad Street, is the northern border of the downtown district. Heading south along Glenwood Avenue, the district goes to the NJT train station. On Bloomfield Avenue, east to west, it stretches from Watsessing Avenue to State Street.

BCA Director Ollyn Lettman said although he is not directly involved with finding retail tenants, he keeps in contact with current business owners to let them know what makes Bloomfield Center attractive, hoping to create a buzz. There are less than a dozen vacant storefronts within the business district, he said. Lettman would like to have Bloomfield College students perform a survey of what the downtown has or does not have.
What it does have are two new businesses, either opened or about to open, in the heart of the district. Lettman said one vacant storefront on Bloomfield Avenue, across from the Leo Building, will be a pharmacy. There was a pharmacy located near The Green but it closed within the last year. Another store that is open is a little farther up Bloomfield Avenue toward Glen Ridge. According to Lettman, it is a unique gift shop. He said people can even have their footwear customized there.
“It’s different,” Lettman said about the store, Play Money Goods. “The shop offers an eclectic and unique collection of freshly curated and customized products. It’s the place to go to find things not available anywhere else.”
The BCA, once a tenant of the Leo Building, moved recently to a second-floor office on Washington Street, above Roxy Florist, near the corner of Glenwood Avenue.
“It’s closer to the action,” Lettman said about his new address.
Washington Street, with its Greenwich Village-ambience, is at the epicenter of BCA activity. The street is tucked away from traffic congestion and can be closed off. It is the site for block parties, al fresco dining, and this summer, a movie under the stars and a pop-up art gallery that was temporarily set up in a vacant storefront. Free parking is available at the Farrand Street lot. There is also the Glenwood Avenue Parking Deck.
“Parking is a challenge,” Lettman said about downtown area. “People hesitate to pay for parking.”
Issues about parking, according to Lettman, are addressed by creating an exciting environment.
“People are willing to pay for parking as long as they see value in it,” he said.
The Bloomfield Parking Authority, he pointed out, now gives 30-minutes of free parking in the deck. This policy was started about five months ago.
Washington Street is also the place where the Facade Grant Program has been most fully embraced.
This program, through the BCA, provides business owners with up to $3,000 to install new lighting, awnings and signage. Seven Washington Street businesses have used the grant monies to enliven their appearance.
“We feel that providing such resources to established businesses, with the goal of enhancing the curbside appeal of downtown area, will help in collective efforts to attract new investors and entrepreneurs, whether they be restaurateurs or retail enterprises,” Lettman said.
The BCA has also hosted two meet-and-greets with downtown business owners.
“You hear a lot of positive feedback,” Lettman said. “But it takes time. They want more progress.”

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