FROM THE CRANFORD CHRONICLE (NJN Publishing)
Thursday, January 11, 2007
By LESLIE MURRAY
CRANFORD -- Officially, the Garlic Rose was closed Monday night. But inside the North Avenue restaurant, the mood was festive and the joint was jumping, as more than 200 people gathered to support a group of local businesses devastated in a Dec. 9 fire.
The cocktail reception, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, collected over $6,000 for the businesses, according to Barbara Bilger, one of the Chamber's directors. That doesn't include the donations made before or since the event, she said.
The fire began in the ceiling of the building at 111-115 North Union Ave. and gutted the structure, which had housed Cranford Florist; Emerald Cottage, an Irish import store, and Erva Doce, a women's clothing boutique. In addition to those ground-floor retailers, the building's second floor housed Malnove, a packaging designer; Cranford Taxi; the office of Dr. Kathleen Williams, a psychiatrist; and A. Papapietro, Inc, a mechanical engineering and contracting company. The building is slated to be demolished.
Throughout the evening, the business owners each took their turn expressing thanks for the support they have received since the fire. "The town has been really wonderful," said Sally Osgood, who owns Cranford Florist along with her husband, Roger.
The florist shop has been operating out of a warehouse on North Avenue, in space provided by Tom Romandetti, owner of Romandetti Rubbish. "I'm very lucky. I feel like we're surviving," Osgood said.
Her husband echoed that sentiment. "The people here in Cranford are awesome," he said.
As the event continued, Roger Osgood was told that another local business owner had left-over display cases that might work well for the florist. "How do you respond to that?" he said of the generosity.
The Osgoods said they were exploring other locations in the downtown, but their preference remains the old storefront on North Union Avenue. "We'd like to be back where we were," said Roger Osgood.
Joseph O'Halloran and Maureen Donnelly, owners of the Emerald Cottage, said their store has been out of operation since the fire, but they are intent on reopening.
"The outreach from the community is so strong," O'Halloran said. "We're definitely staying in town." He and his wife said they are "aggressively" seeking another location in Cranford.
As he addressed the crowd, O'Halloran made his plans a little more definite. "I'm a stubborn Irishman -- March 17 is my date (to reopen)," he said, in reference to St. Patrick's Day.
Vānia Machado Falco, owner of Erva Doce, was ill and unable to attend Monday's fundraiser.
Bilger offered thanks to the local businesses who donated a total of 35 gift certificates and other items, which were raffled to raise more money. She also offered special thanks to Marc Corello, owner of the Garlic Rose, for offering to host the event.
Bilger said that the idea of the fundraiser came about when she and Bob Hoeffler, the Chamber's executive director, were on their way to a Broadway show in December. As they talked, the idea for a fundraiser surfaced, and a call to Corello's cell phone solidified the plans.
"The people have just been so generous," Bilger said. She added that in challenging situations, the township's true colors show through. "Cranford sticks together," she said.
Donations are still being accepted to help the business owners affected by the fire and can be sent to the Cranford Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 165, Cranford NJ 07016. Checks should be made payable to the Cranford Business Assoc./Chamber of Commerce/Fire Fund.