How does Hoboken expect businesses to survive if they keep scaring potential customers away?
Back in 2019, I posted an Open Letter to Hoboken regarding detering visitors on The 4th of July. In that post I expressed my concerns about the city displaying enormous signs at the entrance of town telling people that the fireworks were not visible from Hoboken. First; Of course that simply wasn’t true. Yes the fireworks were on the East River, but they tend to go off in the sky. So yes, they were visible. Second; This passive aggressive way to tell outsiders to stay away — combined with the then new, highly restrictive parking regulations — proved to be devastating for small businesses during the slow Summer months. This didn’t matter to City Hall.
How do I know this didn’t matter to City Hall? Well, seven years later and Hoboken is no longer being passive aggressive. They have flat out said that any driver who is not a resident of the city will be denied entry on The 4th of July. I’m not kidding. Folks will be turned away at any of the entry points of the city. Do those who run this town even understand how business operates? I honestly don’t think they do. Because if they did they’d know that no city — I don’t care how densely populated — can survive on the patronage of residents only. These holiday weekends can in many cases be the reason a business survives the summer. Especially when you consider how many of the residents will leave town.
If you’ve ever wondered why so many businesses fail in this town, there are three major factors.
- The High Rent
Without the protection of rent control on commercial spaces, landlords can — and have — skyrocket rent, forcing businesses out. The space becomes a revolving door of failure or sits empty for years. - Restrictive Parking
Taking away free zones and making every inch of city streets paid parking at one of the highest rates in the area has already proven to keep people away. - Constantly Warning People to Keep Out
Not just on The 4th of July, but every high-trafficked event in town has been preceded by a campaign by the city meant to deter visitors. Sooner or later, folks are simply gonna stop even trying.
While the high rents do play a major part in why it is so hard for small businesses to survive here, the city actively and intentionally working to keep people away certainly doesn’t help. The only businesses that even stand a chance to remain are the big chains. And even some of those have packed up and left in recent years. This is not rocket surgery, Hoboken. Stop scaring away tourists, out of towners, and visitors of all sorts. Make parking more accessible. Lower the rents.
This idea that Hoboken can survive solely on the patronage of residents is naive to say the least. Just take a look at Washington Street. At any given time there’s about a dozen shuttered businesses. And before anyone brings up Covid, it’s been this way years before that. As a former business owner in town, I can tell you I have no intention of ever trying again here. And it’s manly because of how small businesses are treated. Their concerns are deemed unimportant and the voices of those who want Hoboken to be a quiet suburb given priority. The irony being these are the same people who will complain about that revolving door of failure.
Do better Hoboken.
Cheers!
Stephen
