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On the Avenue(s) Raritan redevelop quiet all spring The "Highland Park Plaza" project for luxury condominiums on Raritan Avenue has been stalled since early March as the builders, Dornoch Management, have been involved in ongoing negotiations with the Highland Park Redevelopment Agency. No details of the ongoing negotiations were disclosed since late May. Phone calls to executive director Mona Phillips remain unreturned heading into the agency's next meeting on Wednesday, July 2. The proposed complex would arise between South Second and Third Avenues across from Jerusalem Pizza, on the Farmer's Market lot and several adjacent properties. It originally included a construction of 66 condominiums but was later scaled down to 33 to 35 condominiums, due to a lack of demand for them as well as lack of capital to finance such a large investment. Despite the glum market situation, the developers remain hopeful of its eventual success. - Tanya Buva Raritan Avenue fixture celebrates its 45th anniversary This July, Saiff Drugs will be celebrating its 45th year in business. On July 16, 1963, Ivan Saiff purchased Dakelman’s Highland Park Pharmacy from Louis Dakelman and changed the name to Saiff Drugs. Originally, the pharmacy was located on the corner of North Third and Raritan Ave, where Provident Savings Bank is currently located. In 1982, Saiff Drugs moved to its present location up the block at 325 Raritan Avenue. In 2003, Ivan Saiff took on Vijay Maktal as a junior partner. Vijay started working at Saiff Drugs in 1995 as a pharmacy technician while attending Rutgers College of Pharmacy. He graduated from the School of Pharmacy in 2000 and became licensed later that year. Discontent after working for a mail-order pharmacy outfit for two years, Vijay finally recognized his calling to take over the store as pharmacist-in-charge. Ivan Saiff is now semi-retired and is residing in Florida. He does, however, make a few trips up to Highland Park during the year. “It’s the people I miss the most…my customers and my patients.” Ivan says. “It’s nice to still see them coming to the store after all these years.” To celebrate their 45th anniversary, Saiff Drugs will be raffling off a $45 Highland Park Chamber of Commerce Certificheck each day from 6/30 thru 7/3. Please stop by the store for more details on how to enter. (Limit one entry per person per day). Saiff Drugs A taste of Hawaii and guitar antics Where can you live out your rock star dreams while sipping a tropical smoothie? At Main Street Highland Park’s second Random Acts of Fun block party, Thursday, June 26, from 5 PM to 8 PM along Raritan Avenue between Second and Fourth Avenues. Dress in tropical gear – the theme of the event is Hawaiian luau. Hula-hoop and limbo contests will be held at 202 Raritan Avenue, outside Dr. Howard Sherman’s optometry office, the Highland Park Vision Center. Flower balloons will be handed out at IM Flowers, a new flower shop located at 235 Raritan Avenue. Don’t miss the grand opening celebration of Eden Organix, 215 Raritan Avenue, a new eco-conscious spa and beauty business. They feature premium, organic and natural beauty products. This grand opening will be held during the June 26th event, featuring free demo makeovers for some participants. Guitar Hero, the popular interactive video game that plays out your dreams of rock stardom, will happen inside PJ’s Coffee and Planet Smoothie, 315 Raritan Avenue. The PJ’s staff will be serving non-alcoholic piña coladas. And outside of PJ’s Coffee there will be a fashion show featuring local future models dressed in clothing sold at Highland Park boutiques. Random Acts of Fun participants will receive a “Passport to Fun.” All who get their “passports” stamped from all participating businesses will be eligible to enter a drawing for prizes donated by the local merchants. This event is the second of three Random Acts of Fun parties, which are held every other Thursday, from 5-8 p.m., through July 10, on different blocks along Raritan Avenue. The third event, on July 10, will be on the blocks between Adelaide and Second Avenues. The theme is the Seventies Return; dress in seventies gear or put on a bathing suit for the human car wash. The Random Acts of Fun events are organized by Main Street Highland Park and sponsored by Over the Moon Toys, Yellow Brick Road Pre-school and Infant and Toddler Center and Unity Bank. Balloons for all events were donated by Century 21 J.J. Laufer. For more information, call Main Street Highland Park at 732.828-844 or visit www.mainstreethp.org.
New occupancies: Despite some serious-looking construction effort up and down the Avenues, the business improvement district recorded no new occupancies in April & May. The commercial core took another body blow when the H.P. Cyclery ended its 30-year run at Fourth and Raritan. New vacancies: - Highland Park Cyclery, 337 Raritan Ave. - Silver Hanger Cleaners, 433 Raritan Ave. Change owner / Change use: - Terra Nova Nail Salon, 49 Woodbridge Ave. Learn a skill – meet new friends – save the planet As the weather warms up and gas prices continue to soar, we’ll see more and more people riding their bicycles, either commuting or just for recreation. If you are one of those who’s thinking of buying a bike for the summer, here is an alternative route. Adopt a bicycle at “The New Brunswick Bicycle Library” (TNBBL) and fix it up yourself. Founded in 2005 by Wil Barker and his friends, TNBBL library accepts donations of unwanted bikes and allows its members to adopt the bicycles under one condition- that they rehabilitate it back to working condition. This library is decribed by Wil as “a DIY tool collective,” empowering you to fix, build, learn about, and play with a bicycle. The library is open for everyone; it has 300 official members in just 3 years and is still growing at the rate of 4 new members per week. The library also organizes fun events like concerts and “bike-in” movies and proceeds go toward purchasing new tools in order to satiate the rapidly growing membership. There are 10 core members, skilled mechanics who guide others in the many tricks of the trade. The library thrives on its work-trade program; i.e. when members are helped out by mechanics for a certain amount of time, the members are expected to volunteer that amount of time back to the library by helping others out. In fact, the library refuses to replace the work-trade hours by cash donations. How is a bicycle like a chainsaw? Harmless as the bike may seem, it still releases oil in the environment which can render hundreds of gallons of water unusable. Even though some states have passed a law requiring bicyclists to use bio-degradable oil, many are unaware that bicycles can be environmental pollutants. TNBBL has many big goals that take their community empowerment and environmental consciousness to a new level. Members always search for new ways to decrease waste; for example, the cable used in brakes can be reused as new by first removing corrosion with steel wool then adding a few drops of lubrication. They are also engaged in a research project to use ordinary vegetable oil for lubrication. Although the concept seems novel, it is not quite uncommon. Several libraries exist in different cities under different names: the “Bike Church” in Philadelphia, and one in Brooklyn called “Re-Cycle” (pun fully intended) to name a few. The NBBL has grown on word-of-mouth publicity and has attracted attention from all over the country. One current member rode out to New Brunswick from Los Angeles to visit! The members are extremely welcoming, helping and friendly. New members and veterans alike get along as if they’ve known each other for years. A membership fee of $20 per year helps out with electricity, occasional new tools, grease and shop supplies. Although this fee is nominal, almost optional, members do purchase any parts from the library, at cost. For more information about the New Brunswick Bike Library, contact Wil at communitysound@gmail.com - Tanya Buva “Say hello to the Green Beauty Queen!” Now you can have a clean conscience when you buy that face scrub. In the age of going green and conscientious consumption, organic cosmetics doesn’t seem like out of ordinary luxury. Opening later this month, one can stroll down Raritan Avenue near North Second Avenue and bump into a new organic cosmetics store by the name of “Eden Organix.” The founder of this store is Valerie Mason-Robinson, who got into cosmetics while still in college. As a chemical engineering student at MIT, she had an opportunity to research cosmetic surfactants (surface chemical reactions). “I learned that we’re more than just what we eat,” Valerie explains. “What we put onto our largest organ -- the skin -- has lasting consequences to our health and well being, especially since 80% of what we apply topically is absorbed into the skin.” After graduating Mrs. Mason-Robinson decided to delve even deeper into skin care, and she returned to school for an esthetics-skin care license. Valerie decided to explore organic skin products with the birth of her daughter. “My daughter had bad skin reactions with regular skin products,” explains Mrs. Robinson. “Instead of running to a dermatologist who would prescribe creams and ointments filled with parabens and other toxic chemicals, I learned about organic and naturally-based skin care products,” she said. “They are just as effective, but without the harmful toxins.” Once she started to use organic products all her daughter’s skin issues went away, prompting the entire family to switch to an all-organic diet as well as organic skin products. Since its founding 2 ½ years ago, Eden Organix has pursued a social justice mission as well. Their 25 different product lines include PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics, which gives all of its tax distributed profits to women’s health advocacy and human rights issues. Another company by the name Beeline gives away parts of its profits to organizations that help former convicts with employment. They seek to employ local residents; as a volunteer for the Irayna transitional home here in Highland Park, Mrs. Robinson hopes to provide jobs here for women who really need them. Eden Organix features companies such as Earth Mama Angle Baby, Little Twig, 100% Pure, Essensa and Juice Beauty. Mrs. Robinson’s background in both the technical side and the cosmetic side makes her an expert in picking the best products for her store. “I guess you could say I am a serious skin care junkie . . . if it’s organic or natural, I’ve probably tried it out. Say hello to the Green Beauty Queen!” she exclaims. Eden Organix will be open on Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 7pm. You can find a variety of products in a range of prices. Eden Organix will donate 10% of their profits and time to organizations that assist the environment, women and children. - Ekaterina Vorobiev Pride Center a comfort zone for LGBT The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and intersexed community in Highland Park is a flourishing one. Gone are the days of segregation for living a life true to oneself, the days when two women couldnít walk down the street hand in hand. And gone are the days in which those that support this community couldnít speak up. The Pride Center of New Jersey, Inc. has resided in New Brunswick since 1994, offering an array of services for young and old, the meek and the merry. Their original location was 211 Livingston Avenue; from there they came a little bit closer into North Brunswick, and now they are found right next to PJís on Raritan Avenue. They are most noted with their assistance in the LGBTIQ community. Their website PrideCenter.org offers that this is ìa place to socialize and meet new friends, and a place to gain acceptance and understanding of your gender and sexual identity in an comfortable setting. And how does the organization make such an impact? Volunteers are what keeps such a safe-house running. From the board to the counselors, each participant is working hard to ensure the center can assist all walks of life. They are also supported by hard staff work, from their marketing team, ad sales, fundraisers, memberships and a newsletter. Jennifer Horsey, one of the members on the marketing team, also runs a monthly Women's Coffeehouse at the center. Admission is $5. On the third Friday of every month poet/performance artist Pandora Scooter can be found at the center hosting an "Out of The Box" night. Performers of any genre are welcome. The Pride Center hosts men's coming-out groups, women's social support groups, an Overeaters Anonymous chapter and many more. There is also a group on Sundays called Orthodykes, for those members of the Jewish community that are coming to terms with being lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender. Jennifer offers that the Pride Center is "excited to be in Highland Park. We are looking forward to seeing people coming out in support." They are opened in the evenings from 7 to 10 PM. Visit their website for the night that you would like to attend or feel free to just pop in and say hi. All are welcome. The Pride Center of New Jersey Inc. can be found at 321 Raritan Avenue; 732.846-2232; and www.pridecenter.org. Questions can be directed to info@pridecenter.org. - Melissa Fleming Me & my car, we don't need any other With the ever-changing redevelopment plans constantly in the works for Highland Park, it is always nice to know that there are companies that have made it through the muck for decades. This is especially warming to the heart when that company is responsible for your automobileís health, safety and extended life. P&K Auto Clinic has made the cut longevity-wise and continues to make happy customers in H.P. Brothers-in-law John Kanterakis and Lacky Plias started working in 1979, after completing the automotive training in their native Greece. Mechanic school in Greece is a four-year program. Once in America, they soon found work at the Cedar Avenue Shell station, where Raceway stands today; and shortly after, opened up their own business on Woodbridge Avenue. "Back in the day," Mr. Plias offers, "you could just look at a car and know what was wrong with it." However around the early 80s, manufacturers began creating cars with a new age in mind: the computer age. Apple not only changed the face of telecommunications, but it began a movement where everything we used in our daily lives would be controlled by an electronic mind, including our wheels. In order to know what was wrong with a car, it would often have to be hooked up to a sensor. With this change, the brothers began recreating their education. They took classes on the newer cars and the computers built into them. Often the classes they attended were taught by the very people that made the machines. Today P & K stands strong as one of the oldest, wisest mechanic shops in the area. They have mastered the art of car repair and can be trusted to do the job right, whether you own a foreign or domestic car. Mr. Kanterakis has since retired but the torch continues on by Mr. Plias, his wife Chrisoula, and their right-hand man Tim McCann. P&K Auto Clinicís hours of operation are Mon-Fri: 8-6 PM and Sat: 8-2 PM. They are located at 70 Woodbridge Ave (at Volkert Street) in Highland Park; the phone is 732.572-0466. - Melissa Fleming
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