Americana Diner was more than just a 24-hour restaurant. It was the place where West Orange residents Laura Gregory and Justin Gilmartin had their first date.
The newly engaged couple were among the loyal customers who came to say farewell to the Main Street eatery, which closed after 13 years. They even left with a sugar packet holder as a souvenir.
“We’ve had a million important conversations here,” said Gregory, standing in front of the diner on the day that it closed. “This felt like our place.”
“You know those deep, profound discussions that you need to have with someone you want to marry – like is there a God or are there aliens?” said Gilmartin, who proposed to his fiancée last year.
The closing of Americana Diner, well-known for its 50s-style retro architecture, was a major loss, not only for its customers, but for the Tory Corner neighborhood, whose downtown storefronts appear increasingly empty these days.
“The past year has been slow and with that in mind the new owners made us an offer to purchase the property and the business,” said Kathy Fasoletous, who owned the diner with her husband, George. “We thought really long and hard about it – and sometimes you have to make the decision to walk away when the time is right.”
The Fasoletous family is not alone in their decision. Walgreens and Willow & Olivia bakery have closed as well. Down the street, New Food King closed during the pandemic. Then seafood takeout spot The Boiling Palace closed after less than a year at the same address. Nearby liquor store The Mountain Society also closed in less than a year.
On top of that, real estate developer Daniel Garcia-Pedrosa, who owns four properties along Main Street, said he wouldn’t be going forward with his plans to renovate the historic Llewellyn Hotel.
Despite the state of affairs, Downtown Alliance Executive Director Megan Brill remained upbeat at her annual budget presentation in January, noting that vacancy rate along Main Street is at 6.5 percent. She also believes the recent closing at Walgreens could turn into a large redevelopment project on that block, although she didn’t mention her source for that information and didn’t respond to emails from our publication.
“We did hear that they’re looking to buy the rest of the block,” Brill said. “Folks are looking to invest in our downtown.”
Councilwoman Joyce Rudin said what is missing from the township’s strategy to reinvigorate the downtown corridor is the expertise of a full-time planner. The last time West Orange had a planner was in 2011, when Susan Borg stepped down after 24 years.
Downtown Alliance has had some recent success, bringing 6,000 visitors to their street fair along Main Street — an all-time high. However, Councilwoman Michelle Casalino admits that these efforts have not translated into more foot traffic in the days between these events, arguing that “we need to change things.”
While vacancy remains relatively low, one common complaint about Main Street is that all the businesses tend to be similar – liquor stores, nail salons, and pharmacies, Casalino said.
Gia Garcia, who closed Willow & Olivia bakery after eight years and now operates online, said that she waited for the Tory Corner neighborhood to change but it never happened.
When Garcia first opened in 2017 she heard similar optimism that Main Street was being revitalized. But over the years, she felt the township’s focus went toward Essex Green Shopping Plaza instead, which is where the public library and new dog park was moved. The abandonment of the Llewellyn Hotel renovation was also a factor.
“We felt around 2019 there was no focus pointed toward downtown,” Garcia said. “Losing the library was a big deal because the foot traffic changed – it used to bring families out.”
Garcia said that certain events, such as Downtown Thursdays, haven’t been working but the organization is afraid to stray from their traditional events and are “afraid of doing what works.”
Garcia offered ideas like closing down the street for a “Dinner Under the Stars” event similar to one in Bloomfield, but was told it was too much work.
“This is why businesses are leaving,” she said. “There’s a disconnect.”
Brill, who asked the Town Council for a $12,500 increase in the Downtown Alliance budget that would go toward $5,000 salary raises for her and assistant Amy McCampbell, said her organization operates on a smaller budget than similar ones in neighboring towns.
“Downtown West Orange is twice as long as South Orange and our budget is half of theirs – that’s a struggle that we have,” Brill said.
In the end, the Town Council approved the budget without those salary increases for Brill and her assistant – at least for now.
Council President Joe Krakoviak asked for “harder data” to understand how to measure the effectiveness of the Downtown Alliance, which has existed since 1998. “We just want to see progress for the money we’re spending,” Krakoviak said.
