Business services needed in our area
Hi All,
I just thought I’d give this a shot. I’m taking college courses at night and I have a project coming up. I need to think of all the services that our area might need that can turn into a business.. Of course i have ideas but currently can not think of anything else. Does anyone have an idea of something that would be of service to our area? Thanks in advance for reading and any responses!
Leesa 
hickory dog 
Tigerfan I have a ASD child with ADHD. She gets home from her school at 4:30. It's dark by 5 and often too wet and cold for us to do anything. An indoor play park that is actually open everyday until 8pm would be extremely useful.
There is one at ITC but they are only open until 6, not useful by the time we get there.
Near my father's home they have one called Play Abby. It's a huge play area like the area's at McDonald's, but an a huge scale, with two areas, one much smaller area with small children toys for small children, and one for ages 5 and up. There was a area with comfy couches for parents to sit, child sized toilets, and healthy snack bar.
Cost is $13 all day, $8 for Special Needs, and half price (off regular fare) after 6pm.
Children are marked with a black light marker and so is the parent, children can't leave the play park unless the adult and child match under the black light and the magnetic gate needed to be opened from the cashier side so no one could open it from the play side.
I'd love to see someone actually do this.
Sirya Black
3wbdwnj We need a real meat market/fish shop on Main Street...with fresh quality ingredients, not the select beef and expiring today "manager's specials" that our local supermarkets carry.
We also need entertainment/recreational opportunities for the youth...part of the reason so many kids in the area turn to drugs is because there's nothing to do.....
Localchef 
LibertyThinker A comprehensive substance abuse facility. That is a service that can make a difference and is sorely needed in our area. I can buy prosciutto or donuts anywhere.
Greg I agree with Hickory Dog.
A GOOD fish store-ala DENVILLE FISH MARKET.
Fresh fish to go.
A couple of tables inside and maybe a couple on the sidewalk ( seasonal).
No frills menu and BYOB.
Nothing like it close.
Customers will travel for this.
Would draw from Long Valley, Chester, Mt. Olive and all points west.
(ala Breyer BBQ).
I'm not a restauranteur, but I'd invest.
Open niche.
Home Run.
Stymie 
auntiel 
Lili 
CBGB 
Roywhite We really need a major grocery store in the great meadows/ belvidere. Since the A & P closed our only choice is hackettstown or Washington both are well over 10 or more miles away
Lizzy16 How about a bowling alley with an arcade/pool table with an restaurant/bar, like the one in Washington? Add indoor mini golf, go-cart track, and laser tag to the facility and kids would have plenty to do, ...... grownups too! :-)
Rob Durana bowling lanes in Hackettstown they have a habbit of burnin down , a in door pool would be great a in door shooting range would be nice , a arts and crafts studio with instructors a food store which features products from a round the world now that the belvidere A&P is gone we now go to Blairstown ACME
Caged Animal A YMCA like the one in Randolph. Put it in the old Compaq building on Bilby.
great steaks on main street. try the mexican market on main st.they have a butcher shop in the back of the store.i have gotten some great steaks there.they bring out a hunk of beef and you tell them how thick you want it.and they cut it for you.
mel A small walk-in help place where anyone dealing with addiction could go to talk and get assistance finding treatment. I've helped get people into treatment facilities. It can be a nightmarish maze of a process.
Rebecka That is an excellent example, Rebecka.
I'm fairly certain the OP is looking for similar types of service suggestions, not types of restaurants, shops or entertainment venues that are perceived to be needed in the area.
I give my vote for a fish store too!
What do you think about a shoe store? Remember when you went in and someone helped and measured your (your kids) foot? Shoes are not something I buy online.
Ladies love nice shoes!
MAN Kids ages 10-12 have nowhere to go after school. It would be great to have someplace where they could go for supervision and activities.
hktownie I moved out of htown but still am in the area weekly and I agree with the special needs play area and play area/arena for older kids and lastly but just as importantly proper addiction center to get ppl help and back into a useful role
AJ Now that the business fast track is being outlawed for beautiful women with low self esteem, we need to provide an alternative to these women who formerly used sex as a means to an end.
strangerdanger A van run by the town in the very early morning hours that travels throughout Hackettstown (starting 4:30/5 AM??) to pick up people that take NJ Transit train who do not have a car or just want to leave it behind..and charge a reasonable price to take customers to Hackettstown train station so they do not have to walk in the dark in the wee early A.M. & cold hours just to get up there.
Lauren Okay - I'll throw this one out there --- I've thought this would be a good idea for a while, but do not have the wherewithal to implement it.
Rotating Pop-Up Shop Network.
So here's the concept - a manager have say 10-15 niche businesses that are willing to travel for limited runs in small towns. Thinking towns like Hackettstown, Chester, Newton, Morristown, Sommerville - places that have a distinct downtown that often have around 3-5 empty storefronts.
The manager rents a storefront for a year, with the understanding that every 3-4 months a different niche business would come in. Businesses that could not sustain a full year, but would get great business because it's only for a limited time. Once they come in, people will anticipate what the next business will be, but also when one's they like will come back.
Some potential businesses:
Nut and Fruit
Gourmet Cheese
Fair Trade Goods (Remember What in the World?)
Fishmonger (mentioned above)
Specialty Sporting goods (mentioned above)
Personalized / Custom items (Like Petals n' Pine)
Arcade (mentioned above)
So there's my business idea - The hitch would be finding stores that are willing to pack up and move every 3-4 months and towns that would be able to fast-track incoming businesses so that there is quick turn-around for the manager.
trekster3~ I think we need another Mexican taco place. You know the places that always seem empty inside. There aren't enough of those. haha
Caramia. How we miss Hackettstown only real authentic italian restaurant.
ThaiMaster18 Pop up stores are a great idea here is a real estate report on this:
Pop-up stores are in fact set to make a return this holiday season, but they’ll be joined by a growing number of pop-up warehouses.
Those are among the findings in a new report by CBRE that’s meant to forecast this year’s holiday trends in commercial real estate. The report also points to an expansion of mobile commerce and strength in discount retailing, as consumers continue to seek omnichannel access, value, variety and experiences.
“While online sales will continue to grow, we’re going to see an increased integration with bricks and mortar, making physical store locations — which many thought were in danger — an integral component of the ever-changing and dynamic omnichannel retail platform,” said CBRE Vice President Steven Winters, who is based in the firm’s East Brunswick office. “Retail success is driven largely by demographics, and New Jersey’s status as the most densely populated state ensures that retailers who successfully integrate their brick-and-mortar stores with online and mobile platforms will continue to flourish for the long term.”
According to CBRE, the surge of online sales during the holiday season can create instant, short-term demand for warehouse and distribution center space that they wouldn’t necessarily need during the rest of the year. Nor could they afford it, but the firm said a new pop-up warehouse model has entered the market and may provide the solution by matching owners of excess warehouse space with users that need that space on a temporary basis.
towniejim An Aldi supermarket, like there is in Rockaway.
my husband says it's so much cheaper than them all.
Hackresident Medical bill / hospital bill auditing company. I know so many people who spend hours trying to figure out what is what on their statements vs. EOB's and then spend more time trying to get the billing offices/doctors office to fix all of the errors. If there was a local company that charged a reasonable fee to do this, I'm sure it would be successful.
JrzyGirl88 I know this strays from the original intent of the post, but since others have commented, I will also. Big need, as mentioned above, for a supermarket to fill the A&P spot formerly in Belvidere on Rt.46. The closest stores of any value for food shopping are 10 miles away, as said in other posts above.
I believe some chain will realize the need and put a store in there. However, I hope Aldi is not the choice. Having been to their new store in Flemington today, I really thought it was like grocery shopping at the Dollar Store. Terrible selections, no name brand items, most items looked like they were packaged in deceiving looking packaging to make you think it was the original manufacturer, only to have either the mfg name slightly changed or the graphics slightly different than the original brand item. I almost expected to find some "Puracell" batteries in there!
I get it is cheap, but the stuff I saw, I wouldnt take a chance on eating- I will stick with driving 10 miles for now and hope anyone other than Aldi comes out to us, someday.
The Rhyme Animal Bus service for those who lost license due to driving on suspended....not cause they were drunk....just driving to work to pay the mortgage.
This is the only state without a work license .....write Congress to get rid of Christies law....
Drug users get drug court and get more rights.
Really?
Jenna withers 
CraftBeerBob 
lisa1 
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