FROM THE HUNTERDON COUNTY DEMOCRAT (Newhouse Newspapers)
Thursday, July 27, 2006
By Rachael Brickman
Although Sunday's Cruisin' Clinton car show appeared to be a success, bringing hundreds into town and packing the streets with pedestrians, some downtown business owners and residents were less than thrilled with the event.
Peter Joseph, owner of Clinton Falls Framing and Art, led the pack of discontents, who came to the Tuesday night Town Council meeting to express their frustration with the event. The chief complaint was that too many classic cars took parking spaces away from potential customers and residents.
Joseph sent a letter to Town Council requesting some changes to the event, using Somerville's car shows as a model. His letter, which was signed by seven other town merchants, made various requests, including that the event be held later, from 5 to 7 p.m. instead of 2 to 6 p.m.
Jeanne Quintile, owner of the store Things We Like, was very upset with the event, saying Sunday was a bad business day for her. "I don't think it's an event for Clinton," she said, noting the town's small size.
Resident Joan Bloomer said she'd heard car shows were to be every other week, and she opposed that because of crowding and parking issues. She didn't want more than one car show per year. Quintile agreed.
Detractors notwithstanding, some business owners lauded the event. John Palladino, owner of the JJ Scoops ice cream store, joked, "I made a million dollars. (The car show) is excellent for the town." Carol Beder, owner of Heartstrings said, "The publicity we get (from the car shows and other big events) is only positive. The summertime is a really slow time in Clinton."
Councilman Robert Ragozine cautioned business owners to be patient. "It may not have gone perfect for everybody but keeping things status quo (isn't helping either). Other businesses will benefit weeks or months from now," he said. "Not everything will be immediate gratification."
The event, which was organized by the Clinton Guild and approved by council, was originally intended to be every two weeks over the summer, with the first event serving as a trial-run. No further events have been planned, although Guild President Richard Urmston is expected to present another date at the next council meeting. "It turned out very well from some people and very not so well for others," he said. "There were a lot of people in town, that's for sure."
Urmston said he would survey merchants on the success of the event and work to improve the problems, picking a new time and day of the week if necessary.