Main St.

[BLeafe]

Anyone recall a 2001 book from The Record titled, "Looking Back - A Photo Retrospective of Bergen County"? A lot of the pictures featured in the paper's current "A Look Back" series on page A-2 are taken from it - including our favorite photo of the week on page 33:

[Homer Jones]

I looked at my copy of the book and they dated the photo "circa 1948" which is well in the ballpark judging on the style of the autos.

Great detail on the photo is the car coming out of what was Demarest Place and crossing northbound traffic to make a left turn heading south. Don't forget that Main Street was 2 ways in those days. Talk about taking your life into your hands.

[BLeafe]

I looked at my copy of the book and they dated the photo "circa 1948" which is well in the ballpark judging on the style of the autos.

Great detail on the photo is the car coming out of what was Demarest Place

"Circa 1948" is exactly what they wrote this week too. The guy at The Record told they got that from a database and it's pretty useless because the actual photo would have the date the picture was taken on the back of it.

That's why they said they were bringing in their archivist to try to find the original print..........that and the fact that some people - myself included - think it's from the early 50s because we think a couple of the cars are beyond the 40s.

What does the "great detail" of that car turning onto Main St reveal to you as far as its make and model year?

To me, it could be a Chevy from as late as 1953. I think the key car is the fourth one behind the pedestrians - definitely not 40s-looking.



.

[Homer Jones]

The fourth car back is definitely the benchmark. It is the only car with a one piece windshield. Every other car where you can see the windshield has the old two piece glass.

If I remember correctly the one piece windshields with some curvature came in around 1950.

Going back to the fourth car back, I put a magnifying glass on the front hood ornament. I remember that my father had a '52 Olds and the hood ornament was a silver rocket with wings and maybe it's my imagination; but, I think that I can  make out a rocket with wings on this car. Somehow I also think that in advertising parlance, Oldsmobile used the rocket as a logo way back then.

[Homer Jones]

Holy Oldsmobile! I still have some of my marbles left. GOOGLE "OLDSMOBILE" and they have pictures of every Olds. Hit the cursor onto 1950 and you can see that the rocket was the logo for Olds. That #4 car could be an early1950's Olds.

[BLeafe]

Oldsmobile used the rocket as a logo way back then.

The Rocket 88 was an Olds model and was in production back then, so "circa 1948" is out the window. I'm going for "circa 1953".

I wish I could see either the full back or the full front of that car turning onto Main. It looks like a Chevy emblem on the hubcap (cropped out of the newspaper picture, but visible in the book). '53s and '54s look pretty similar, but the dead giveaway would be the taillights.

[Homer Jones]

Definitely not a 'Vette.

[Editor]

Kate's Bros. Shoes: Walk through life
Friday, August 20, 2010
Hackensack Chronicle

HACKENSACK — Kate’s Bros. of Hackensack has been custom fitting people with problem feet since 1941, making it one of the oldest businesses in Hackensack. Located on 329 Main Street, this store is known for its outstanding customer service in which all customers are given individualized attention.

Owner Greg Mills and co-managers Dave and Maria Figueras work to provide customers with the highest quality merchandise for their specific needs, including special shoes for people with diabetes, arthritis and plantar fascitis.

They also fill prescriptions and provide shoes for those with hammertoes, high arches and bunions. Sicilian shoemaker Antonio Rizzo, an orthopedic shoemaker, is always on site and a certified pedorthist is available by appointment.

"We’re here to work with customers. We’re very community minded and have about 3,000 customers in our database. We work one on one with you to make sure we’re selling you the product that’s best for you," Dave Figueras says.

The store website tells it all: "YOU matter and we care."

To accommodate every customer, Figueras will make house calls if a customer is homebound and needs to be fitted for comfort footwear.

Kate’s Bros. carries a variety of shoe manufacturers – Drew, Markell, Clarks, Foamtreads, E.T. Wright, Durea Shoes and Apex – and all can be specially ordered.

The store is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit www.katesbros.com for a complete list of all products and services and don’t forget that shoe repairs are also offered here.

— Robin DeCicco

[Editor]

Learn about “The Main Idea”
for Hackensack’s downtown and share your ideas
Third Meeting: September 27, 2010

As we previously announced, the Upper Main Alliance is hosting meetings on the revitalization and development of Main Street. Our next meeting is Monday, September 27, 2010 at the Johnson Public Library Auditorium, 274 Main St., 7PM where we will share with you what we have discovered and hope to accomplish. We are very excited about the progress we have made in developing this vision plan for the future of Main Street and are eager to hear your thoughts and ideas as we move forward.  Please join us!

Note: We request that you reserve a seat for this meeting by emailing hackensackmsba@verizon.net (preferred) or by calling the Upper Main Alliance office at 201-498-1690.  Space is limited. Those registering in advance will be notified if space is not available for this meeting.

We will be covering the same material that we covered in our prior meetings but you are welcome to attend again if you would like.

[just watching]

We're dreaming, but dreams can become reality.  See what Cliffside Park has done for its downtown:  1 acre green space/plaza with a reflecting pool, 200 parking spaces designated for shoppers, 267 upscale apartments, and nearly 51,000 square feet of new quality retail space.   Great ratable to lower the taxes for local residents, all at no cost to the Borough.  Now imagine that between Banta Place and the Railroad, and you've got a whole new identity for the downtown.

Cliffside Park retail, housing complex close to securing financing
Friday, September 24, 2010
Last updated: Friday September 24, 2010, 5:40 PM
BY MATTHEW VAN DUSEN
The Record
STAFF WRITER
CLIFFSIDE PARK – A long-planned retail and rental apartment complex on Anderson Avenue is close to securing $74 million in loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, borough officials said Friday.

The guarantees are a major step forward for the Towne Centre Redevelopment Project, which will include 267 rental units, 50,883 square feet of retail space and a three-story underground parking garage, officials said.

James Demetrakis, who is developing the project with Fred Daibes and Frank Raimondo under the name Towne Centre Urban Renewal Company, LLC, said the group must submit the final plans for government approval before closing on the financing.

Demetrakis said the project, which has a total pricetag of $100 million, will take 18 months to complete after the closing.

 “We’re 100 percent committed to getting it done and to rehabilitation of the business district,” Demetrakis said.

The Federal Housing Authority program insures private lenders against default by developers of urban rental housing, allowing the developers to secure a better interest rate.

Towne Centre promises to revitalize the downtown area with 200 public parking spaces for downtown shoppers and a 1 acre landscaped outdoor plaza with a reflecting pool.

Still, the project has attracted controversy in the past.

The borough seized 12 properties in the central business district by eminent domain in 2006, angering some residents. The giant hole in the middle of town has also left many wondering when construction would begin.

Town officials said they were confident that the project will move forward.

“After many years of planning, I am delighted, that in spite of a slow economy, substantial progress is being made to bring this project to reality," Mayor Gerald Calabrese said.

Borough officials added the project will not cost borough taxpayers and will revitalize the downtown and add to the tax base.

E-mail: vandusen@northjersey.com

[Editor]

Main Galaxy: Out of this world
Friday, November 19, 2010
Hackensack Chronicle

HACKENSACK — Virginia Isufi and her husband, Leon, opened the custom framing store and art gallery Main Galaxy on 251 Main Street five years ago. Selling a wide variety of oil paintings and lithographs from Italy, Columbia, Dominican Republic and a collection from local artists, customers can purchase great works of art from a price range of $50 to $5,000.


Main Galaxy, located at 251 Main Street, is a custom framing store and gallery owned and operated by the Isufi family.

The Isufis also specialize in custom framing for everything from oil paintings to shutter boxes and sports memorabilia. Frames are available in wood, brass, gold, silver and ready-made frames are also sold here.

Customers can drop-off artwork to be framed and can be assured it will be ready for them to pick-up within a few days.

"We offer excellent prices and excellent work. We do whatever we can to satisfy the customer at all times," Virginia says.

Main Galaxy also offers copy enlarging, passport and immigration photos and photo restoration services.

The Isufis added that customers who bring a copy of this article into Main Galaxy will receive a discount off of any service that the store offers.

The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

— Robin DeCicco

[Editor]

Greek Island Grill: Fresh from the Mediterranean
Friday, January 21, 2011
Hackensack Chronicle

HACKENSACK — Owners Artemisia and Gina Tarkazikis serve authentic Greek cuisine at their family-owned eatery that has become known for not only its fresh food and traditional Greek dishes, but also for its hospitality.


Greek Island Grill, 77 Main Street, brings part of the Mediterranean back to Hackensack.
COLLEEN WHITE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The lunch and dinner menu at Greek Island Grill at 77 Main Street consists of dishes that are found on most Greek restaurant menus, such as grilled octopus, eggplant dip, tzatziki and souvlaki, but the difference lies in the quality of the food.

Recipes have been passed down in the Tarkazikis family, so generations and generations have had the chance to perfect the moussaka and pastichio.

Most of the ingredients, notably the olive oil and cheeses are imported from Greece, so make sure to try the "cheese lovers appetizer" served with grilled haloumi saganaki and feta.

The Greek salads, gyros, grilled peppers stuffed with spicy melted cheese, fried calamari, fries seasoned with lemon and oregano and kefte sausage are all very popular, as are the many fish dishes.

Grilled red snapper and whole striped bass are cooked with a light dressing of olive oil, lemon and garlic and the bakaliaros and skordalia - fried cod - is served with garlic dip.

Greek Island Grill delivers to the local area and offers catering for small and large venues. Call 201-489-4733 for specific information. Open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., the restaurant features daily lunch specials for under $10.

— Robin DeCicco

[just watching]

I always wanted to go on vacation to the Agean Sea, and visit the islands. But why bother, this is cheaper.

[Homer Jones]

Having dined along the banks of the Aegean Sea and the banks of the Hackensack River, trust me when I tell you that there is a difference in the ambiance.

[just watching]

'ol Homer is right, as usual.  And a better speller.

Wouldn't it be great if the Hackensack River had more ambiance.  Not exactly the gold coast, is it ?