RED BANK: SKATE SHOP ROLLS OUT OF TOWN
After less than three years in downtown Red Bank, Feet First Skate Shop has closed its doors.
RED BANK: FOOD, AND MORE, IN CHURN
Ivan Lopez and friend outside the newly opened Toro Rojo Parrilla Mexicana on Shrewsbury Avenue. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Two food-based businesses departed Red Bank last month – one after 21 years, the other after just a few days.
But the shopping and dining scene also saw the quick revival of a vacant restaurant space, the opening of a new Pilates studio and more activity.
Read all about it in this edition of Retail Churn.
RED BANK: SKIES CLEAR, OKTOBERFEST ROCKS
Delayed a week by rain, and nearly drenched by more precipitation on its-rain-or-shine backup date, Red Bank Oktoberfest teemed with good cheer Saturday afternoon.
The first-time event went off just as skies cleared from a morning of rain, drawing some 2,000 attendees to sip locally made beer and liquor and enjoy food and music in Edmund Wilson Plaza, between Triumph Brewing Company and the Two River Theater. Volunteer firefighters were among the volunteers helping keep sample cups filled.
Based on the “incredible turnout,” Oktoberfest will be back in 2024, said Bob Zuckerman, executive director of organizer Red Bank RiverCenter.
Check out redbankgreen‘s photos from the event below.
RED BANK: SKYWATCH FOR WEEKEND EVENTS
Xol Azul Band, seen here playing last year’s Porchfest at the Fortune Cultural Center, is scheduled to reprise the gig Sunday, one day after a scheduled headline appearance at the Hispanic Heritage Celebration in Riverside Gardens Park. (redbankgreen photo. Click to enlarge.)
It’s eyes-on-the-sky time as four outdoor events dominate Red Bank’s dance card this weekend.
For two, it’s a matter of avoiding a second straight rainout Saturday, while the outlook is clearer, and sunnier, for two others slated for Sunday.
RED BANK: WET FORECAST BUMPS EVENTS
Oktoberfest is slated to take place in Edmund Wilson Plaza, between Triumph Brewing Company and the Two River Theater. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
A forecast of rain has prompted reschedulings for two outdoor Red Bank festivals slated for the upcoming weekend.
The change means that – weather permitting – the town could have both a beer-and-spirits tasting event and a Hispanic Heritage Celebration running simultaneously the following Saturday.
RED BANK: OPEN-AIR OKTOBERFEST SLATED
The event will take place in Edmund Wilson Plaza, between Triumph Brewing Company and the Two River Theater. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
After a year without an outdoor food festival, Red Bank RiverCenter plans to debut a new one next month: Red Bank Oktoberfest.
To be held in Edmund Wilson Plaza between Triumph Brewing Company and the Two River Theater on Bridge Avenue, the September 24 event will spotlight product samples from Monmouth County breweries, wineries and distilleries.
RED BANK: THOUSANDS ENJOY RIVER CONCERT
In lawn chairs, on blankets and aboard boats, thousands of music lovers flocked to Marine Park in Red Bank for the return of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra after a three-year absence Saturday night.
Were you there for the sublime concert on the Navesink? Check out redbankgreen‘s photos below to spot familiar faces, and let us know what you thought of the event, organized as in the past by downtown promotion agency Red Bank RiverCenter. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
RED BANK: TENANTS TO FILL KEY VACANCIES
Two new retail tenants will be coming to the building at the corner of Broad and Monmouth streets, says the landlord. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
One of downtown Red Bank’s landmark buildings appears on the verge of filling two retail vacancies, redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn has learned.
Also in this edition of Churn: a restaurant is now dual-branded; an Italian ice shop opens; and a smoke shop plans to replace a “sip-and-paint” studio.
RED BANK: BROADWALK IS BACK
Red Bank’s Broadwalk returned Monday night for at least a four-month run. And the weather for the next week looks good for outdoor dining.
RED BANK: SMOKED MEATS, PLUS CLAY, IN CHURN
Gleaming displays at Salt & Smoke, on Prospect Avenue. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank may have lost one of its oldest neighborhood butcher shops last summer, but new owners are giving the space a new, spicier lease on life.
Also in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn, a pottery instruction business takes over a tiny, hard-to-see spot in the heart of downtown.
RED BANK: PAIR PRODS ACTION ON BROADWALK
Robinson Ale House owner Tim McLoone at Wednesday’s council session. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank’s Broadwalk dining plaza will return for at least a four-month run May 15, following informal agreement by the borough council Wednesday night.
The consensus arose after Mayor Billy Portman and Councilwoman Kate Triggiano goaded the reluctant majority bloc into an immediate decision.
RED BANK: MASTER PLAN’S USE DEBATED
An illustration from the Master Plan section on affordable housing. (Image by BFJ Planning. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Concluding a 14-month process, the Red Bank planning board adopted the borough’s first new Master Plan in 28 years Monday night.
The unanimous vote followed spirited debate about whether the many recommendations in the 166-page document should be prioritized for council action.
RED BANK: NEW CULINARY DELIGHTS ABOUND
Michelle Storey in her new Fable Creamery vegan ice cream shop on Monmouth Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Recent weeks have brought a veritable groaning board of new culinary offerings to Red Bank: breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
Read all about the insane buffet in this winter-doldrums edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn. More →
RED BANK: ‘STANDING UP’ FOR JUDAISM ANEW
Mayor-elect Billy Portman lights the Menorah in Riverside Gardens Park. Below, Rabbi Dovid Harrison addressing the gathering.
Against a backdrop of growing antisemitism nationally and globally, several dozen Jews and supporters gathered at Riverside Gardens Park in Red Bank for an annual Menorah lighting Tuesday night.
RED BANK: NEW EATERIES WALTZ INTO TOWN
Harvest Moon Hut has opened in the alley alongside the Dublin House Pub. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
A tiny new restaurant stakes out night owls. A vegan ice cream shop, a pizzeria, a French-bread baker and a dance studio waltz enticingly toward openings. Another restaurant closes its doors.
Read all about downtown Red Bank’s latest comings-and-goings in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
RED BANK: MEN’S CLOTHING, EATERIES IN CHURN
Evan Piscitelli is now owner of two downtown shops: a jeweler and a men’s shop. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
In this nutmeg-tinged edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn, we’ve got news of a men’s clothing shop opened by a man who’s been selling diamonds and jewelry in downtown Red Bank for seven years.
We’ve also got updates on four restaurants – three opening, and one closed.
RED BANK: SPARED HOUSE TO GET SPRUCE-UP
The new owners of 26 Wallace Street plan to refurbish it as a single-family home. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A 19th-century house in downtown Red Bank, spared by public clamor from the wrecking ball earlier this year, has new owners who hope to restore its onetime “splendor,” redbankgreen has learned.
RED BANK: PARK CHRISTMAS TREE ARRIVES
After a short trip from Middletown, Red Bank’s annual centerpiece Christmas tree is up and ready for trimming in Riverside Gardens Park.
RED BANK: FRAGRANT END TO 18-YEAR VACANCY
A flower shop has relocated to the long-empty former Katsin’s Drugs space on Shrewsbury Avenue, known for its giant neon sign. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A Red Bank store space that’s been vacant for as long as it takes to raise a baby to adulthood finally welcomes a new tenant this weekend.
Also in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn: a new electric bike shop, a hair salon, a pasta shop, a gift boutique and more.
RED BANK: STOMPIN’ THRU THE WEEKEND
We kick off this first weekend of autumn, 2022 with the debut of ‘Stomp Your Blues Away,’ a post-pandemic paean to Red Bank by Omega Train.
“When I take my body down to old Red Bank’s downtown,” goes the song, “my pain don’t hurt me anymore.”
Well, that’s music to Red Bank’s restaurants and shops this next-to-final weekend of the Broadwalk outdoor dining plaza. Visitors will also find lots of added attractions, including a Kids’ Takeover from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Friday; StreetLife music performances Saturday night; and bands at three bars: Red Tank Brewing, Jamian’s and Triumph Brewing.
And the weather looks ideal for stomping… or maybe just strolling. Both Friday and Saturday will be warm and sunny, with early-fall temperatures in the evening, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday’s outlook isn’t look bad, either: partly sunny, with a 30-percent chance of rain after 2 p.m.
Check out the extended forecast below. More →
RED BANK: CLOTHING, SALADS, SHAKES & MORE
Born in a shed in Matawan, Shedhead Vintage has opened at 93 Broad Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
New shops selling vintage clothing, healthy beverages, fresh salads and more have debuted in downtown Red Bank in recent weeks.
Say hello to the owners in this midsummer edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
RED BANK: DONUTS, TOYS AND MORE IN CHURN
Luis Hurta at the newly opened Once Bitten Donuts on Broad Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Need donuts? A vintage camera? Soul-soothing crystals, toys or housewares? Late spring has brought a bouquet of new businesses offering these goodies and more in downtown Red Bank.
Read all about them in this cusp-of-summer edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
RED BANK: RIVERCENTER TAPS DOWNTOWN PRO
Bob Zuckerman has run business-promotion organizations in South Orange, where he’s now an elected official, and Westfield. (Photo by Matt Glass. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A downtown-management professional with extensive experience in New York and New Jersey has been tapped to run Red Bank RiverCenter, the organization announced Thursday.
Bob Zuckerman replaces Glenn Carter, the onetime borough planning director who served as RiverCenter’s executive for less than a year prior to his retirement earlier this year.
RED BANK: FLURRY OF NEW SHOP APPROVALS
Soul Focus plans to open a 7,300-square-foot wellness center on the first floor of 73 Broad Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
An art gallery/podcast studio, a toy store, a camera shop, a pet-treats retailer, a sizable wellness center…
Downtown Red Bank may see the debut of those businesses and more in coming months, based on a flurry of approvals by the borough planning office in recent weeks. Read all about them in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
RED BANK: NEW BUSINESSES SET THE TABLE
A view of the first-floor dining area at Centrada Cocina. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
In this long-overdue edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn, we’ve got news of three new restaurants in downtown Red Bank, plus an update on a much-anticipated donut shop.
And for those who enjoy a bit of body art: a new tat studio.