Category Archives: St Georges Avenue

Council supports two marijuana facilities

Two cannabis cultivation and/or manufacturing sites could be coming to the city, including one aiming to locate at the former Galaxy Diner.

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11: Skeptical of Supermarkets

One of the most frequent conversations among readers is about bringing a supermarket to downtown Rahway. It’s been the subject of the occasional reader poll and there was even a campaign five years ago to lobby Trader Joe’s to open in town.

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That’s not to say there aren’t options in and around downtown Rahway. The Cherry Street Market has been around a long time. There’s also Universal Meat Supermarket on Elizabeth Avenue and Rahway Farm in the Deals Plaza on St. Georges Avenue, a half-mile from downtown.

Matt Casey of Rahway-based Matthew P. Casey and Associates has been analyzing supermarket retail for more than 30 years. He helps open new grocery stories, conducting feasibility studies on a geographic area, studies the best places to build a story and projects how much business a store might do.

I spoke with Casey for a blog post in 2017 and it was among the most popular posts that year. I thought it would make for a good podcast episode to revisit the supermarket conversation with him. We talked back in October as I was brainstorming ideas for podcast episodes and not much has changed. We discussed the local options in and around Rahway and why it’s so difficult to attract one to Rahway..

We also discussed the cult of Trader Joe’s, the rise of home delivery during COVID and its short- and long-term impact on the supermarket industry, and what a Rahway market would have to do to compete. “If I’m doing a supermarket study for an individual who wants to open a supermarket in downtown Rahway — or anywhere — my first question is going to be what are you going to do different, what are you going to offer the customer that’s unique or different that’s going to change a customer’s mind from ordering from Walmart” and having it delivered to your door within two hours.


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Second round of business grants available

Another $250,000 in forgivable loans grants will be available to eligible businesses in a second round of Rahway CARES Act funding. Eligible businesses can receive up to $4,000.

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Planning Board approves outdoor space at Kowal’s

The Planning Board earlier this year approved variances that would allow an outdoor seating area at a longtime St. Georges Avenue tavern.

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Lala’s Attic brings a bit of ‘Storage Wars’ to Rahway

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Lala’s Attic, a boutique thrift store and more, opened in March, bringing a slice of “Storage Wars” to Rahway.

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Designated bikeways approved

With no comment from the public and a lone comment from one of its members, City Council unanimously approved a pair of ordinances that will designate more than 3.5 miles of bikeways within Rahway.

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Trees to be planted at Mione, Berzinec parks

Forty new trees will be planted at Berzinec Park on Central Avenue and the new Salvatore Mione Park on New Church Street as part of an initiative of the New Jersey Tree Foundation, with TD Bank and the city.

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