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Small Business

Readers’ Choice: Cast Your Votes for Bergen County’s Best! Readers’ Choice: Cast Your Votes for Bergen County’s Best!
Readers’ Choice: Cast Your Votes for Bergen County’s Best! Bergen County, it’s time to show some love for your favorite local businesses! Daily Voice has officially launched the voting phase of its inaugural Readers’ Choice competition, and the power is in your hands to crown the best of the best. Our readers submitted nominations earlier this fall, and now the top contenders are ready for your votes. With over 80 categories spanning six major groups, this is your chance to celebrate the local gems that make Bergen County a vibrant place to live, work, and play. From the tastiest eats to top-notch services, your vote can help highlight the business…
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A member of a burglary ring that specifically targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison. James Hurt, 48, of New York, and other members of the second-story crew worked from what the FBI called a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. The burglars often got into homes through unsecured upper-floor windows before seeking out cash, jewelry and guns, the FBI said In one instance, th…
Dumont Hardware Owner Closing Up Shop Reflects On 78 Years Of Business Dumont Hardware Owner Closing Up Shop Reflects On 78 Years Of Business
Dumont Hardware Owner Closing Up Shop Reflects On 78 Years Of Business Bill Salisbury was just a kid when he began working at Dumont Hardware. His father, Harry, opened the store in 1946, and when he turned 12 , Salisbury would come in on weekends to help clean the place. As he wiped down the windows and swept the floors, Salisbury would listen in on the conversations between the electricians, plumbers, and painters who came for supplies. Over the years, Salisbury gleaned enough insight to fix just about anything, and by 19, he was working at the 33 Dumont Ave. store full-time, in lieu of earning a degree at the Parsons School of Design.  These day…
New Ice Cream Spot Coming To Bergen County New Ice Cream Spot Coming To Bergen County
New Ice Cream Spot Coming To Bergen County Just in time for summer, Bergen County is getting another ice cream spot. Bruster's Real Ice Cream will be opening in Westwood early this summer, a spokesperson for the company confirmed. This will be New Jersey's second Bruster's store, the other in Washington Township (Gloucester County). The company was founded in 1989 by Bruce Reed (who puts the "Bruce" in Buster's). His passion was offering homemade ice cream to the community. Bruster's offers a rotating selection of 24 small-batch flavors and more than 150 handcrafted recipes. There are nearly 200 independently owned locations in 22…
'RHONJ' Stars Help Open North Jersey Hoagie Shop 'RHONJ' Stars Help Open North Jersey Hoagie Shop
'Rhonj' Stars Help Open North Jersey Hoagie Shop PrimoHoagies brought the sandwiches. Teresa Giudice and Danielle Cabral brought the star-power. "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" stars appeared at the grand opening of PrimoHoagies new location in Wayne, helping to cut the ribbon and taking photos and signing autographs with guests as the line stretched around the block on Tuesday, Aug. 29. "They are an amazing small business that I love and support," Cabral said at the grand opening. The franchise is run by Felix Galinsky and Anthony Falange, who own several other franchises throughout North Jersey, with a fifth location coming to Lind…
Integral Part Of Sparta's Business Network Hratch Kechishian Dies Integral Part Of Sparta's Business Network Hratch Kechishian Dies
Integral Part Of Sparta's Business Network Hratch Kechishian Dies Sparta is mourning the loss of a local business owner after what loved ones call a “difficult medical battle.” Hratch Kechishian died Saturday, July 15, his obituary says. He was 63. An integral part of Sparta’s business network, Hratch was the owner of The Leather Zone in Sparta — a business “he put his whole heart and resources into,” reads a GoFundMe launched by Melissa Prestipino for his family’s support. “Hratch was a generous man who would donate the shirt off of his back,” Prestipino writes. “He gave the community and healthcare workers many of his own supplies during the pandemic…
Cotton Candy Heaven: Newswoman Finds Sweet New Calling With Jersey Shore Biz Cotton Candy Heaven: Newswoman Finds Sweet New Calling With Jersey Shore Biz
Cotton Candy Heaven: Newswoman Finds Sweet New Calling With Jersey Shore Biz Have a hankering for cotton candy? You're in luck. Billie Rama of The Asbury Park Cotton Candy Co. is leasing a new production space exclusively for cotton candy lovers. Until now, Rama has been mobile only, operating a cotton candy table at parties, movies, and special events. Here is what Billie Rama's cotton candy table looks like when she "spins" at special events.Provided/ Billie Rama She organized this GoFundMe page to help defray the costs of setting up a permanent facility to expand and streamline her production. She started production at 909 Asbury Ave. Unit D on Thursday, Ma…
Fordham Grad Trades Corporate Gig For Bergen County Bakeshop Fordham Grad Trades Corporate Gig For Bergen County Bakeshop
Fordham Grad Trades Corporate Gig For Bergen County Bakeshop Baking has always made sense to Despina Kontomanolis. It's methodical, scientific, and she knew if she followed the steps meticulously, she'd get exactly the product she wanted. Baking proved to be imperative to the 36-year-old New Milford after she graduated from Fordham Business School, and began working in the corporate world in 2009. "I felt like my soul was dying," Kontomanolis said. "I was feeling like I wasn't living up to my full potential because I wasn't getting pleasure out of selling insurance or writing up leases." In 2015, she quit her corporate gig at the urging of friends…
Popular Sussex County Party Store Closing Brick-And-Mortar Space Citing Theft, Inflation Popular Sussex County Party Store Closing Brick-And-Mortar Space Citing Theft, Inflation
Popular Sussex County Party Store Closing Brick-And-Mortar Space Citing Theft, Inflation A popular party supply store in Sussex County is closing the doors of its brick-and-mortar space citing theft, inflation, and customer rudeness. The Sugar Sisters on Route 23 in Franklin will close its doors in September, the owners announced on Facebook on Sunday, July 24. “Lisa and I regretfully announce that we are closing the doors to our brick-and-mortar store,” reads the post. Meanwhile, everything is on sale “with the exception of a few select items” at the store, which has not raised its prices due to inflation, the post says. The owners cite family, theft, inflation, and increas…
Ban Of Lukoil Stations In NJ's Largest City Only Hurts Small Businesses: Report Ban Of Lukoil Stations In NJ's Largest City Only Hurts Small Businesses: Report
Ban Of Lukoil Stations In NJ's Largest City Only Hurts Small Businesses: Report Lukoil gas stations are officially suspending from operating in New Jersey's largest city, but the franchise owners say the move is only harmful to small businesses. Newark's City Council on Wednesday, March 2 voted in favor of the resolution, in opposition of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Lukoil — headquartered in Russia and apparently owned by oligarchs — has two locations in Newark, both on McCarter Highway. A franchise owner of one of the stations told CBS News that while he stands with Ukraine, he's "confused how shutting down an American-based small business owner is sending a mes…
New Bergen County Bakery Owners Are Betting On Each Other New Bergen County Bakery Owners Are Betting On Each Other
New Bergen County Bakery Owners Are Betting On Each Other A Bergen County couple who quit their day jobs to start a cookie company together are taking things to new levels. Michelle Micek and Torre Liebchen are preparing for the opening of Wish Upon a Pastry in Midland Park as they plan their wedding. The couple took a "giant leap of faith" quit their day jobs at a local Kosher steakhouse to launch Wish Upon a Cookie in 2019, then got engaged to be married. As word spread of Wish Upon A Cookie, their business and relationship both grew leaps and bounds.  View this post on Instagram A post shared b…
Nearly 60% Of NJ Small Businesses May Call It Quits Due To COVID-19: Survey Nearly 60% Of NJ Small Businesses May Call It Quits Due To COVID-19: Survey
Nearly 60% Of NJ Small Businesses May Call It Quits Due To Covid-19: Survey More than half of New Jersey's small business owners may call it quits due to COVID-19, according to a new survey. The New Jersey Business & Industry Association report found that of the business owners contacted, 28% said they will look to sell or shutdown their business sooner than expected due to continued obstacles, while 31% said they are still determining if their plans will change. “When nearly 60% of employers are either looking to end their businesses sooner, or considering it, due to these continued obstacles, it should be a red flag for our policymakers wh…
Philly Influencer Used Social Media Following To Rip Off Black Community, AG's Lawsuit Says Philly Influencer Used Social Media Following To Rip Off Black Community, AG's Lawsuit Says
Philly Influencer Used Social Media Following To Rip Off Black Community, AG's Lawsuit Says A Philadelphia business owner is facing a lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro accusing her of using her social media presence to steal thousands of dollars from consumers. The suit alleges that Dana Chanel, whose real name is Casey Olivera, and co-owners of the four businesses named "misled consumers and failed to deliver goods and services as promised." “Dana Chanel built a following online by presenting herself as a black woman-owned small business success story,” Shaprio said. “She advertised the products of her companies as a way for other black small business ow…
From The Garage To The Incubator: Engineers Have What It Takes To Be Entrepreneurs From The Garage To The Incubator: Engineers Have What It Takes To Be Entrepreneurs
From The Garage To The Incubator: Engineers Have What It Takes To Be Entrepreneurs The world is hungry for innovation. Existing systems and “ways in which things are done” have become stale, are inefficient, or non-inclusive of those who need the service. In short, they need fixing. Healthcare, the environment, housing, accessibility and many other areas of our lives would benefit from new ways to solve an old problem. Enter the engineer. Driven by an urge to “build a better mousetrap,” engineers should, and often do, see problems everywhere. They don’t take existing systems for granted. Instead, they see opportunities for improvement. Engineers, by definition, are entrep…
'Speak English Or Pay $10': Clifton Shop Owner's Sign Causes Controversy 'Speak English Or Pay $10': Clifton Shop Owner's Sign Causes Controversy
'Speak English Or Pay $10': Clifton Shop Owner's Sign Causes Controversy "Speak English or pay $10 extra," read the sign that Dave Feinberg hung in his Clifton storefront. Feinberg owns Cutter's Edge, a knife and blade-sharpening shop on Lakeview Avenue, in a largely Spanish- and Arabic-speaking area. He hung the hand-written note in the window out of frustration over the weekend -- and never intended to actually charge customers extra, according to NorthJersey.com. What ensued was a near-war against him. Feinberg was accused of racism by Twitter users calling for a shutdown of his store. He answered countless phone calls from people saying they wish he lost …
Kimchi Smoke Won't Be Returning To Bergenfield After All Kimchi Smoke Won't Be Returning To Bergenfield After All
Kimchi Smoke Won't Be Returning To Bergenfield After All Kimchi Smoke won't be returning to Bergenfield after all. The popular BBQ shop owned by award-winning chef Robert Austin Cho first opened in Bergenfield. The shop relocated the following year to its current Westwood location. Construction on a second store at Fosters Village was set to begin in March, but those plans were put on hold in March due to COVID-19. "There was a time, I thought I was going to close during the pandemic," Cho said in a Facebook post. "But I kept going not knowing what would happen." Cho on Thursday announced plans for the new Bergenfield store have been cance…
3 'Gelotti' Stores To Rebrand, Break Off From Flagship Paterson Location 3 'Gelotti' Stores To Rebrand, Break Off From Flagship Paterson Location
3 'Gelotti' Stores To Rebrand, Break Off From Flagship Paterson Location Longtime "Gelotti" employee, owner and award-winning gelato master Mike Guerriero is headed in his own direction. Guerriero and his wife will be rebranding Gelotti Montclair, Caldwell and Randolph, and calling them "Gelati by Mike." The trio will be breaking off from the flagship store in Paterson. The rebranding will kick off with the launch of Gelati by Mike in Randolph on July 21. The other two will be ready by August. The Guerrieros -- along with Mike's aunt and uncle -- are also taking over the Hillery Street Restaurant and Grill in Totowa and reopening as the Hillery Luncheonette th…
American Dream: Teaneck Barber With Kindest Smile Celebrates 50 Years In Business American Dream: Teaneck Barber With Kindest Smile Celebrates 50 Years In Business
American Dream: Teaneck Barber With Kindest Smile Celebrates 50 Years In Business There's something reassuring about Lorenzo Lavorgna's smile. It's genuine. It's kind. His presence alone is enough to put you at ease -- to make you feel at home at his Teaneck barbershop, Fifth Avenue Haircutters. Aside from cutting your hair, that's what Lavorgna is after.  "When people walk out with a smile on their face," he said from inside of his Cedar Lane shop, "it makes me happy." Oct. 2 marks 50 years in business for Lavorgna -- affectionately known by customers as Larry -- who has yet to tire of his trade "No doubt about it, I love to talk," he said. "I love to socia…