Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Many residents and business owners are hoping the opening of HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley could have a positive impact on the local economy.
When the Pascack Valley Hospital closed, the effects rippled throughout Westwood and surrounding towns. Hospital employees lost their jobs, and many local businesses also reportedly felt a hit. Now that the hospital is set to reopen June 1 as HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley, business owners said they're hoping for an economic turnaround. The whole borough felt the impact of the hospital's closing in the years since. The assessed value of the borough dropped by $17 million this year. Westwood Mayor John Birkner called this year's budget the "most difficult budget that I have seen." Westwood Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Joseph Abou-Daoud said the hospital's reopening is "going to be huge for the town." Abou-Daoud said he expected …
Saturday, May 25, 2013
The high-end Italian menswear store has moved back to the borough and added haircuts and hot towel shaves to its offerings
Papillon, a menswear store offering Italian-made suits, sportswear, jackets, shirts, ties and other accessories, has returned to Westwood. The store has been in business for 35 years, having previously been located on Fairview Avenue in the borough before moving to the Shops at Riverside mall in Hackensack. Papillon recently reopened in Westwood at the former location of Irish Eyes and is now offering some new services, according to owner Harun Rashidzada. The store still offers its same selection of clothes, including custom made-to-measure items, and now they have also installed a pair of barber chairs in order to offer hair cuts and hot towell shaves. They'll also be adding a lounge area in the future. "It's a place for men to come get …
Monday, May 20, 2013
The new yoga studio is located at 615 Broadway.
A former garage on Broadway in Westwood is now the home of a new hot yoga studio. One Love Hot Yoga recently opened at 615 Broadway, growing on the success of their first location in Ridgewood and offering, for now, about 27 classes each week at the new site. The studio specializes in Vinyasa/flow style yoga, in which practioners move from pose to pose in a fluid style, as opposed to the Bikram style in which poses are held longer, according to Jenny Nunn, the studio manager. It's also "hot yoga," and the studio reaches temperatures up to 95 degrees with 50 to 60 percent humidity. "When your body is warm, your muscles are more relaxed and you're able to go deeper," Nunn said. The community at One Love is just as warm as the studio, Nunn …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Tom Orecchio of Modera Wealth Management was named one of the "30 most influential" people in the industry by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors.
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) has named Tom Orecchio, a financial planner at the Westwood-based Modera Wealth Management, among the "30 most influential" people in the association's first 30 years of existence. NAPFA is a professional association for fee-only financial advisors. Orecchio has served as the association's chairman, a board member and treasurer. “We are thrilled to honor Tom Orecchio and the other deserving individuals who have each made significant contributions to the organization and to the planning profession,” NAPFA Chair Lauren Locker said in a press release. “NAPFA’s rich history was made possible because of the contributions by those in our ranks, including Tom." Orecchio and the other…
Monday, May 6, 2013
The event will coincide with an open house at HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley.
May 18 is going to be a big day for Westwood. It's the same day that both HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley is hosting their open house and the Westwood Chamber of Commerce is planning to hold their second annual "Go West" shopping and dining event. Participating businesses will be listed on a "perks page" available at the event with all of the discounts and freebies they'll be offering, according to MaryAlice Farella of Society Men. "There's everything you could need — or want — right here," Farella said. "Of all the local Bergen County shopping towns, Westwood has the most to offer." Money raised via donations from participating businesses raised thousands of dollars for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at last year's event, according…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Glow Hair Designers recently opened on Center Avenue..
A new hair salon in downtown Westwood offers service from an experienced team who previously ran a similar business in town years ago. Glow Hair Designers, located at 178 Center Ave., is owned by Santo and Donna Scuderi, the same team who owned Here Comes the Sun, which opened in Westwood during the 1970s. When they started, perms and afros were in style. Over the years, straight hair has become more popular. Their experience has given them the know-how to style hair however a customer wants, Donna Scuderi said. "We started curling their hair," she said. "Now we're straightening their hair. In hair design, everything comes full circle." The Scuderis have been big in Bergen County hair for decades, eventually starting their first salon — …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Beverly Adler opened Arts & Ends on Westwood Avenue in 1973.
Beverly Adler is getting ready to close her Westwood store, Arts & Ends, for the last time this May. Arts & Ends has changed a lot since it opened 40 years ago. Originally an art store, Adler began selling some handmade jewelry and clothing. As trends changed and her customers began asking for designer brands, Adler continued to transform the store into the modern clothing shop it is today. "You can't keep it the same," Adler said. "You have to change, to keep up with trends." Adler calls it retirement, but really it's just another change. She will be taking over the gift shop at HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley when the hospital opens June 1. In the shop, Adler said she plans to continue carrying some jewelry and women's fashion tops, but …
Saturday, April 13, 2013
The Westwood coffee and crepes restaurant is adding sit-down dining and a full menu of traditional, homemade Italian dishes.
Sogno, the Westwood-based cafe known for its crepes and fresh-roasted coffee, is planning an expansion in the next few months. The eatery is planning to expand into the former Gyrocopter next door to their Broadway location and will be adding sit-down dining under the name Caffe Anello, according to Sogno's coffee/culinary expert John Vitale. As part of the plan, they're also planning to expand the cafe's menu with tapas and handmade pasta and sauces. They'll remain a cafe by day, but will become an open-kitchen forum by night, according to Vitale. "It's going to be a completely European feel," he said. Vitale and his wife, Alissa, said they were inspired by their honeymoon in Paris and Tuscany when they opened Sogno last year. They make …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Westwood Zoning Board shot down an application for a strip mall at the former Chevy dealer last month.
A developer has withdrawn an application to build a strip mall on Kinderkamack Road and is considering appealing the Westwood Zoning Board's decision to reject his plan to build another strip mall at the former Chevy dealer. Developer Nicholas Aynilian had proposed to build a pair of five-unit strip malls at the former Chevrolet of Westwood building on Kinderkamack Road and the empty lot across the street. Whether or not Aynilian will pursue the appeal will depend on whether he wants to "invest any further in this effort at costs which, even if successful, may jeopardize the financial viability of the project," he wrote in an email. The first plan, for the defunct showroom and garage at 39 Kinderkamack Road, was rejected by the board in …
Monday, April 1, 2013
The first, which will donate money to the County’s Veteran’s of Foreign Wars and Ladies Auxiliary, is Saturday
The owner of a Westwood business who said he wants to be a big part of the community isn’t waiting long to start giving back. Olive Branch & Grape Vine, which is located on Third Avenue and opened a second location in Ramsey last month, will start hosting ‘Olive Charity Days’ once a month. Once a month, the specialty oil shop will donate a portion of the day’s proceeds to a local charity. "There are so many wonderful nonprofits in and around Bergen County," owner Paul Karoyan said in a release. "All a local nonprofit has to do is send a letter of interest, and we will take care of the rest. Every customer who comes in on that specific day, makes a purchase, and mentions the charity by name, will be included in the final tally." The first ‘…
Slava Zborovsky
11:21 pm on Saturday, May 25, 2013
Great idea with the added services, looking forward to getting an old style shave... more ›