If they would have had a reliable Kosher certification, they would have survived.

If cedar lane had business on Sunday they would have had a chance

Hang in there James! Better days could be coming - and there should be enough yogurt eaters in Teaneck - kosher certification or not - to keep you going!

So sad the theater and Louie's have closed. The older generations of Teaneck families will never forget what Cedar Lane used to be. ..the Beehive, Rocklin's, Pioneer Pizza. Bischoffs after band concerts in middle school. RIP Cedar Lane.

Figures, just got a living social coupon for them :(

i dont like Blue Laws BUT it is false to say that being closed on Sundays is the ONLY reason why Cedar Lane is in trouble. Obviously there are many other downtowns subject to Blue Laws that dont have the same problems as Teaneck.

Cedar Lane should be bustling. We need the movie theatre to stay alive and be updated. All stores should be allowed to open on Sunday and have the choice of which day to be closed. We have a thriving, diverse community, jam-packed with families. Shouldn't we be able to enjoy strolling along Cedar Lane, going to the movies, getting a bite to eat, shopping, while supporting Teaneck's local merchants and economy? We certainly do not need another pharmacy. What can we do?

Last week I wrote that Cedar Lane is not just Kosher food and I meant it. It is an open air food court. Sadly, it lacks the open air ambience needed because our sidewalks were not widened during the Streetscape project. Yo-boys did have some outdoor seating. "Cedar Lane seeks success" should be the motto from now on. That means cooperation between the businesses and prudent investment. In the meantime Teaneck residents should not forsake there favorite places on the Lane. I am getting hungry just writing about it.

Let's think positively. Cedar Lane is in transition and this is an opportunity to make it better and the place we all know it can be! It's time to revisit the parking situation, the blue laws and how we can support the movie theater. We need to be able to help merchants before they go out of business. Blast, for example, was a nice direction for "the new Cedar Lane".

Yo Boys was a great place for Cedar Lane a FUN place soooo sorry to see you go.........Cedar Lane is a by pass to the bottle neck on route 4.....

Since when do food stores / restaurants have to be closed on Sundays?? Fact or fiction?

Instead of bemoaning all that has closed, or trying to think of what we want to open, maybe someone should be looking at the business models that work and don't work. WHY do places close while others don't? Is it a rent issue? Is it a traffic or parking issue? Is it a zoning or signage issue? Is it a lack of advertising? The movie theater (from what I have read) closed because it didn't want to invest over 200k in upgrading costs for digital projection. This is clearly not the same reason that Louie's closed. Was Yo Boys dependent on the after-cinema crowd so its closing was inevitable based on its model of walk-in sales? Was there ever a sustainable demand for frozen yogurt (I seem to recall a number of water-ice places opening and closing on Teaneck road also)? Did rising costs of coffee beans because of foreign turmoil doom Blast, regardless of what Teaneck residents could have done? I have no idea. Stores open and sometimes their are operating on flawed demographic studies, mistaken assumptions about the future of an area, or simply without a long term plan. Similarly, they close for many different reasons. Without an insight into the WHY we cannot prevent any recurrences.

Another one bites the dust......... This is what happens with business... when they can not make money... they go away...... demand and supply..... it has nothing to do with what should or what should not be.........

Let us use this opportunity to let market place determine what can survive in the caustic environment we call Cedar Lane (after spending millions of tax payer money... it is still a graveyard for businesses).....

Teaneck will have to learn how to be business friendly and how to ignore people who come up with wish lists..... otherwise we will continue to see more of these news......

Business is not run on wishes and hopes and feelings..... the truth is businesses need to make money... if they can't..... we get Cedar Lane

Steve: I beg to differ. The sidewalks were not generally widened except for a few selected places. That includes at crosswalks and (the notorious) bus-stop bumpouts. I opposed the latter. Further, the township chose to plant trees along some of the narrowest sidewalks making them effectively narrower.
Dee Are: All that you say is true but was not (or poorly) done over the years by the TEDC and other groups given the responsibility and funding to do it. This goes back to the 1990s. Now the money is gone but some of the responsible Council politicians are still there, usually silent on Cedar Lane matters. One example: Teaneck never replaced our Parking Area signs. They are small, poorly placed, have lost their reflectivity yet they remain. Replacing those signs for 2013 would be nice start. Also cleaning the dingy sidewalks.

We should all - business operators and nearby residents - converge on a CLMG (Cedar Lane Management Group) meeting to see what is going on now.

I still enjoy walking from my home to Cedar Lane to do my shopping, dining, banking, kibitzing. See you there.

Art: I don't think Teaneck should spend a single tax dollar on Cedar Lane anymore. Let the business owners clean up the side walk or do improvements. It is time for profitable businesses to set foot in Teaneck and stand on their own feet.

The side walks on Cedar lane are wide enough...... how much wider you want them to be? It is not wide enough as is...... it is a pain driving on Cedar Lane and I try to avoid it.... altogether....

No one is going to come shop at Cedar lane if the sidewalks were any wider...... we need stores that sell stuff people want...... the only way is to allow businesses what they do best... do business...

Here in Teaneck every one has an opinion about what kind of store they want...... such people people should open one at Cedar Lane.... I bet most businesses will fail at Cedar Lane.... and hence no one wants to come here..... the ones who try... face red tape..... so no takers......

I agree with the person who said that we don't need another pharmacy chain. As far as retail stores, it's hard to compete with the malls on Rt. 4 and 17. Someone said business owners run into red tape. Maybe that should be investigated if we want new and interesting businesses to open.

Teaneck Teaneck Teaneck the inevitable downfall, they fail to accept that they must change and stop giving such a fight to places that's gonna drive traffic, it's time to attract household names, give them incentives to operate here, stop fighting people who have innovative ideas, as a previous business owner I would stay away from cedar lane in regards to renting something there, Bcse it was an area with not enough diversity and if I wasn't kosher I would be doomed, those that sit on the board and have all the say so also needs to diversify, you need people who are gonna fight for change not just sit there and fall in line, I've made these assumptions over 5 yrs ago, it's been my argument before all these stores started closing, your politicians need to be responsible for the improvement

sorry but ALL of teaneck's business districts are very run down and it has nothing much to do with diversity. Didn't a couple kosher places go out of business too on Cedar Lane? The steakhouse i believe. Not to mention last i checked everyone of all faiths can go to the movies. As I have said before this kind of attitude helps nobody. Time for Teaneck residents to demand "smart' development and real economic development plans to improve our business areas. This problem impacts all groups in Teaneck.

JamesTS: Teaneck need to make decisions to support business and not care about religion color or creed..... the criteria should be "supporting business without spending tax money" ..... period......

We must liven up Cedar Lane....we need eateries of all sorts, interesting shops besides nail salons, hair salons, yogurt and snack places, and definitely the great movie theater!!!! Yes, if it would help business to do well, then be open on Sunday!!!! Don't let too much time go by, either!

One issue that has not been addressed is the fact of the internet and the number of people using internet retail facilities. When I spoke with owners of Animations and Farfallina, two superb stores on Cedar Lane that have closed, both cited the internet as a competitor they couldn't match. although both shops sold unique, high quality products, the reality is that it is easier for many people to go online, find something at B&N, Toy R Us, JC Penney's, Bloomingdales, etc., pay by credit card and have the item sent. That is a reality that has to be dealt with. Further, as I understand it, the rents on the Cedar Lane properties are exceedingly high (I think that was a problem for Mabat among others). and apparently the landlords feel they are over-taxed. Stalemate. Perhaps Council can set up a public meeting at which landlords from the business districts could talk about the challenges they face, and have an interactive session with Council and the public (obviously an effective moderator would be needed). But lets get all the behind-the-scenes stuff into the open, so we can begin to truly assess what is needed to revive the Teaneck business districts and community.

Another thought. Although we talk about the malls taking away local businesses, I can't believe that I am the only person who finds malls overwhelming and prefers to use smaller shops. And I have to believe that the parents with several small children find mall shopping with them highly stressful. If we were to have high quality clothing and shoe stores, or a local, high quality small "department" store, that might bring patrons back from the malls. If parents could purchase children's underwear, socks, shoes, coats, skirts, pants, party dresses, etc. right on Cedar Lane, would they? worth finding out. A woman's clothing stoe, Men's clothings store, etc. these stores should have good quality, reasonable prices and excellent service. Parking will be raised as an issue. We have a lot of parking, just as is, on american Legion Drive. many people don't like to walk (though they shlep all over a mall!). Let's have a little shuttle bus running up and down Cedar lane and to the parking lots. Park your car, hop on the shuttle, get off at the corner you want, shop and hop back on the shuttle to the parking lot. Also -- son't forget that in 2006-7 the revised master plan changed Cedar Lane and plaza zoning to mixed use, with 3 stories allowed on Cedar Lane and 5 stories conditionally allowed on some parts of the Plaza. We need intergy, intelligence and creativity to take what we have and what we are allowed to do, and start to rebuild. Does anybody care?

I meant "energy"

Some of their business was no doubt driven by the theatre 'crowd' (I use the term loosely). Hey, is there a way we can get Kosher certification for MOVIES? THAT would sure help the attendance! And, we would have the only one! For a while, at least. But I would seriously donate $$ to save the theatre, and support a mixed-use during off-hours for rehearsal space, theatre groups, community info programs, art exhibits, town hall meetings...hell even LIVE MUSIC once in a while would not be bad!! That could help to fund the upkeep and renovation to digital projection while keeping ticket prices down!! And, I will even volunteer to work there several hours a week for FREE to show movies or WHATever- and I have some experience. PS: Barbara has a lot of good ideas- we need more folks that actually DO care! (I hate malls too- seldom if ever go- would rather hunt down an 'off-the-grid' antique or curios store somewhere- make shopping an adventure again. Good comments though!

I MISS GOOGLEPLEX!! (Was there around the time of Pioneer Pizza and the record stores). SO support Teaneck's BEST (only?) music/guitar store at Lark Street Music!! Best window on the Lane for sure!! Also miss the toy store/hobby joint down from Louie's. Anyone remember the name? Davis?

Yes -- Davis Toy Store. The Davises lived up the street from us on the corner of West Englewood and Hudson. My sisters and I LOVED the store. My favorite doll came from there -- blond hair, magenta velvet dress with two little pieces of "ermine" fur on it. Heavenly!!

This place was a real pleasure. The store was immaculate and the food was great. They really did everything they possibly could to survive. Cedar Lane just is not a great place for business. The cost was a bit high but I don't imagine that they could have paid their rent otherwise. I wish them the best of luck and hope they can open in a different location that will bring them success.

I'm sure it had nothing do with with the thousands of other frozen yogurt places open. I like frozen yogurt as much as the next guy but is there really that much of a demand for it? Of course a new frozen yogurt place is opening up on Teaneck Rd.