What Can Fort Lee Do to Keep Businesses from Leaving Town and Attract New Businesses to Main Street?

By now, we all know that the Fort Lee Borders is closing by the end of April as part of the chain's bankruptcy restructuring. The realtor and exclusive broker for Fort Lee Towne Center told The Record he hopes to replace Borders with tenants “that are more relevant to the community.”

That means possibly doctors’ offices and restaurants, says John Choi of Sandbox Realtors in the article, which quotes him as saying he is “getting lots of positive response.”

Fort Lee Patch columnist Ann Piccirillo wrote this week, “We, as a community, could do nothing to save Borders when their corporate headquarters announced that the Fort Lee store was targeted to close, but we can help Chef Joeyness. You know where his corporate headquarters is? Right behind his counter.”

She was referring to local business owner Chef Joseph Ghazal of Joeyness, a small organic café that provides all natural Mediterranean food, who told Patch last week he didn’t know how much longer he could sustain his business in Fort Lee.

Piccirillo went on to write, “There has been so much talk lately about bringing new businesses in to fill the empty spaces in town, but what about trying to keep the ones who are already here? What is our role if not to support our local shop owners and nurture young talent like Joey’s?”

And then she urged the community to take action: “Let’s not let any more lights go dim on Main Street. What does it say about us as a community if most of our shop owners end up leaving? If we don’t support our own, there will be none of our own left to support.”

Now we want to know what you think. What Can Fort Lee do to keep businesses from leaving town and attract new businesses to Main Street? Is supporting and patronizing local businesses like Joyeness enough? Or is attracting business to Main St. something local government should be doing, and if so, what steps should b taken? What do you think Choi means when he refers to tenants “that are more relevant to the community?”

Join in the discussion. Let us know what you think. Tell us in the comments.