Letter from the EDITOR:

Hello 08840! Hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather. I am excited for you to check out our Summer edition magazine dedicated to the lifestyle and community of Metuchen.

In this issue, readers will learn about what makes downtown Metuchen a BIG deal. With a recent 2023 Great American Main Street Award by Main Street America under its belt, Metuchen can brag a bit like Anchorman’s character Ron Burgundy. Only two other downtowns in New Jersey – Westfield and Montclair – have previously received the honor. With a population of 14,780 and growing, the borough has made a name for itself. Thousands of residents use the Metuchen local train and bus stations to travel to New York City, Philadelphia or Northern New Jersey. Learn more on page 2.

Have you ever watched a Roller Derby game? It’s not like the game seen on Saturday morning TV in the 1970s. It has evolved. Meet the ladies of the Dirty Jersey Roller Derby – Play Clean, Skate Dirty team. They play their games right in town at the Sportsplex at Metuchen. The team calls each other by their derby names – even outside the rink. As Bones No. 814 simply puts it, the fast-paced game is “fun.” The team not only plays their “fun” sport, they also do so much more from collecting food donations at games for local food pantries to rolling in area parades. Learn more about Dirty Jersey on page 8.

Get your taste palates ready for Fire & Flavor BBQ this summer. It’s the only spot in town that brings traditional Portugal flavors to the table. Owner Wilson DaSilva has been working in the food industry since he was 15 years old. Some favorite dishes to try: the chicken and ribs cooked over the wood charcoal are Fire & Flavor’s No. 1 dish. Chicken and garlic sauce and the picadinho (a mix of square meats with shrimp, peppers, onions and Portuguese sausage) follows very closely. And every week they put a few specials out for lunch and dinner. DaSilva’s wife Andrea DaCruz is a dessert specialist, so all their desserts are homemade and made fresh weekly. Follow your taste palates to Fire & Flavor on page 12.

Stories of the past round out this issue. Readers will learn about Lenni-Lenape Chief Matouchin, the blossoming of the Brainy Borough and why the borough has been referred to as the hole in the doughnut. Nancy Zerbe, chair of Metuchen’s Historic Preservation Committee, and Tyreen Reuter, who is a Metuchen resident and volunteer for the Metuchen Historical Society, share their knowledge of the borough’s storied past starting on page 16.

All of this and more awaits on the pages ahead! Happy reading!

Summer 2023 Contributors

AWARD continued from page 3 while it brought new residents and their spending power, there were concerns what impact this would have on the small-town community character.”

Soon after in 2012, Woodmont Properties won a contract to redevelop the site to turn it into a mixeduse development, called Woodmont Metro, according to njtod.org. This redevelopment helped the downtown area flourish into what it is now.

Pearl Street Piazza was then introduced to the planning board in 2014. Two hundred seventy-three residential rental units as well as 12,000 square feet of retail space were proposed.

“The difference between [Metuchen] today and when we started is night and day,” Kremer said. “In 2016, we did not have much activity. On the first Small Business Saturday that year our volunteers were thrilled to see people downtown and shopping on a Saturday. Today, that is a regular occurrence. In 2016, Metuchen was a sleepy commuter town with not a lot happening. Today, nearly every store on Main Street is filled with only one or two exceptions.” in organization leadership and sustainability and creating a welcoming downtown for residents, visitors and community members, according to mainstreet.org.

Every year since 1995, Main Street America recognizes Main Street communities who serve as a model for preservation based-commercial district revitalization with the Great American Main Street Award, according to mainstreet.org.

The communities that are eligible to apply to this award are “all accredited Main Street America programs with an active Main Street membership and that have not previously won,” said Alicia Gallo, senior manager of Strategic Communications at Main Street America.

“The application for the award includes questions about the communities, opportunities, challenges, historic preservation, ethic, and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” Kremer said, adding the process continues with an intense interview process, finalizing in a final interview with the jury.

The MDA was specifically selected for its work to revitalize Metuchen’s Main Street, create innovative programming, and introduce downtown management. Moreover, the MDA was recognized for leaning into inclusive events – such as Lunar New Year, the Hispanic Heritage Celebration, Juneteenth, and Pride on the Plaza – while maintaining Metuchen’s historic, through themed promotions and events developed to drive traffic to downtown businesses.

When the MDA was established in 2016, the business district had an over 20% vacancy rate.

Now vacancies are at a single-digit, alltime low, and Metuchen is regularly receiving national recognition – most recently when American Girl introduced its 2023 Girl of the Year doll, Kavi

Sharma, as a Metuchen tween who is proud of her Indian-American heritage and likes to take the train into New York from Metuchen’s downtown station.

Today’s downtown Metuchen balances old and new. You’ll find traditional businesses like a classic ice-cream parlor alongside a Dominican bakery run by a French Culinary Institute graduate, home goods sourced from Brooklyn, N.Y. and the United Kingdom and a wide variety of top-rated restaurants reflective of the diverse area.

by a French Culinary

“Metuchen Downtown Alliance’s recognition wide, meaning all towns

The award is nationwide, meaning all towns that have an established Main Street America Program can enter. There have been 109 winners since 1995, and almost every state has a town that has won.

The applications are evaluated by a national jury of industry professionals and local leaders in the field of economic development and historic preservation.

The criteria that the jury looks for when going over the applications are inclusive community engagement in the design and implementation of programs; impactful collaboration with public and private sector partners; the generation of economic impact through small business creation, preservation, resiliency, and growth; commitment to the preservation of historically significant physical places, public spaces, legacy communities, and cultural heritage; strength small- town character.

During the past seven years, the MDA has worked to improve signage and storefronts; celebrate Metuchen’s increasingly diverse population and businesses; create placemaking; and support the buy-local experience

Brooklyn, N.Y. and the wide variety of top-rated Main Street communities with an inspiring model of success,” include Metuchen’s excellence in creating a welcoming, walk- as a 2023 GAMSA winner provides our national network of Main Street communities with an inspiring model of success,” Gallo said. “Some attributes include Metuchen’s excellence in creating a welcoming, walkable, and inclusive downtown through innovative and familyfriendly programming, as well as their unwavering commitment to transparent, inclusive place activation, and ‘shop local’ community identity.”

Kremer said the greatest impact of the award is “the inspiration it provides other communities to innovate, learn, grow and achieve more.”

“There were over 1,900 people at the Main Street Now conference who saw the video please see AWARD, page 7 and the announcement,” he said. “If Metuchen was able to do this in six years, it sets a powerful example for other communities to follow. Don’t get me wrong, the award is great. Even better is [for the downtown] to continue to innovate, inspire, learn and grow.”

And current MDA executive director Dawn Mackey is doing just that.

“[Isaac] brought a significant expertise in the Main Street approach that paired perfectly with the most tenacious, and talented group of volunteers,” she said. “This resulted in an extraordinary trajectory for Metuchen. To achieve this recognition in a short six years is truly awe inspiring. As an outsider with intimate insight into other small downtowns, I can confidently say what Metuchen has is incredibly unique and the secret ingredient here is the community.

“When volunteers, the municipality, landlords and businesses put their hearts into one mission the results are pure magic. I could not be more proud of the work this team has done and am excited for this opportunity to introduce Metuchen, officially as a Great American Main Street. I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE