FREE FISH!

INCLUDED IN OUR SALTWATER AQUARIUM LEASES!

when the movie Nemo impacted the sale of clownfishes I was too busy struggling with my business to pay attention to the disgusting chain of events that followed - I know a lot of aquarium retailers exploited the sudden surge in demand - and given that aquarium retailers do little or nothing to discourage ignorant demanding consumers the result was inevitable - clownfishes are one of the species of fishes currently aquacultured / bred in captivity and can be mass produced - as a result they are affordable and readily available - so any asshole can sell them and any asshole can afford to buy them - AND THEY DID en masse

why do I say asshole?

because what motivates consumers and suppliers alike is the almighty buck - if you can afford it - you have a right to own it - and if you can sell it - well what the hell if the person buying the clownfish is dooming it to death -

after all it's a disposable - right?

WRONG - what should be disposable are the consumers who care little for nature, the environment and anything other then themselves and placating rather than educating their children - and the retailers who are just consumers selling to other consumers!

The countdown has begun!
Boonton Farmer's Market starts again June 9 and runs through September 29th hours of operation are 9 AM to 1 PM and location is Upper Plane Street Parking Lot. 2007 Market Sponsor is Lakeland Bank Returning favorites include Race and Beckage Farms, Pauls Sour Pickles, High Mountain and The Upper Crust; New vendor this year is Jake Bakes providing gluten, wheat and nut free products! Also new this year is our special focus days at the market - June 9th - Let us (Lettuce)Begin ; July 14th - Blueberry Festival ; August 11- Corn Fest ; September 8 - Tomato Fest ; and Apple Fest on September 29th.

 

A lot of people measure their success by the failure of others - at least a lot on Main Street

Mice are those who go along or look the other way - and midgets are those who constantly measure - thus if they are 2" tall that's twice as good as someone who is 1" tall -

is there anyone over 6 foot on Main Street?

thus the progress made on Boonton's main street over the years can be defined as due to the lack of men and women and a proliferation of mice and midgets -

after decades of no or slow progress - the issue remains - is parking a problem or an excuse? Except it's a Trojan horse - not an issue - and distracts from the truth -

those fence sitters who line the streets of main failed long ago to require local government to require landlords and tenants to provide parking for employees

after all bodies were needed then and bodies are needed now - but employees have long become a burden despite them constituting the majority of customers - particularly for breakfast and lunch -

employees are such a burden that more than one long term retailer on Main has said that the reason for not bagging meters (to attract shoppers) during the Christmas moratorium was to keep it a secret from employees and other wayward shop owners-

failing of course to note that they were keeping it a secret from potential new customers also - but then if you've survived on Main Street over the years - you know all your customers by first name and can let them know by word of mouth -

this type of thinking is as stale and moldy as last years loaf of bread -

exclusivity and reclusivety and eccentricity abound

but unfortunately it's not quaint as many would like to believe -

Counter started Saturday May 5, 2007 10pm

TRIPLE YOUR MILEAGE BY PURCHASING A VEHICLE THAT GETS 3X MORE MILES PER GALLON THEN THE CAR YOU CURRENTLY OWN - THEY ARE AVAILABLE NOW.

I stopped in Dunkin Donuts and got a medium coffee - it came to $2 with the .23 cent change going in to the tip jar.

I usually go to McDonalds whose coffee I like best -

there's a starbucks right next to the McDonalds with a steady stream of wall street types and socialite house wifes - even with their kids atow -

okay - SO whats the point I WANT TO MAKE?

- that coffee over the course of a year costs those who can afford it upwards of $700 a year on average - even those who can't afford it -

cigarettes I've thrown in as an even more expensive habit - especially when you end up spending hundreds of thousands to stay alive as a result of asthma, cancer or emphasema -

what do you think would happen if people spent their money MUCH more wisely - they do sell coffee at the super market that you can make yourself - and cigarettes do kill you ....

simple isn't it?

But based on habit I'm as stupid as the rest when it comes to these obvious opportunities to save money for more important needs.

Next up - liquor, candy, cake AND CARS!!!!

Life in Boonton is dictated by a small group of insitutions - the fire department, the police department, the chamber of commerce, the main street program .... and a small group of businesses who have managed to figure out how to survive over the long run - one way is to have other sources of income - tenants - another is to stay in close touch with the people who manage the parking situation. There are at least 3 businesses I know of that use the police to control parking in front of their establishments - to the extent that tickets will be handed at the direction of the shop owners who act as monitors. The public parking in Boonton is used to a great extent by office workers - and apartment dwellers - for whom the landlords are not required to provide parking - These landlords and their tenants should be required to supply their own parking - as is the case in well managed towns. Plane Street would be a good source of street parking - except the DPW needs a lot of room to race their trucks up and down the road. Perhaps an escalater at the far end of the plane street lot would encourage that end to be utilized more effectively - and instead of the now debunked proposals to dislodge business and homeowners at the base of Main street - the empty lots on plane street should be taken by the government for public parking. This will all happen some day - but like global warming - it will take years for the light bulb to go on in the minds of decision makers and influence peddlers. What do you think?

The continuing futile and mis-guided attempts to substitute feudal law for good business management continue to escalate in Boonton - the latest experiment is an increase in parking attendents (labor is extremely expensive!) and an increase in the time within which they pay for themselves by handing out tickets (someone told me they get a commission) - and a $35 parking ticket which is designed to 100% insure that no shopper who gets one will ever return to Boonton - so that leaves the local workers as the core of customers - and there's only so many food joints to cater to them and the food joints are growing every day - besides many local workers can't afford to eat out for at least a few days after getting a $35 ticket!!!!!!

Nights are still the best time to visit Boonton - but most if not all of the few specialty stores close early - thus reducing the possibilities for a visitor to guess what! food once again - only this time a more limited choice of places to eat and still with no place to do some shopping -

Specialty stores are obviously the most viable business's for a town with gestapo like parking regulations - as they are uncommon and not easily substituted for -

most people believe it or not, are smart enough to avoid a ticket if they know what they're in for - BUT unfortunately everyone slips - and in a town that is fanatical about enforcing regulations there is no slippage - only a $35 ticket which insures that the person receiving it will likely look for another place to eat, get their nails or hair done or shop for a gift -

only the best managed business's with income primary streams generated via mail order, special orders, custom work or the internet have the slightest chance - unless meters are installed and the fine reduced to a hand slap

parking fines should be reduced to $5 with increased penalties for repeat violators - meters should be placed everywhere and vendors should be able to give their visitors and customers tokens to use if they choose too - the library for example - for parents with small children - and those meters near the libary should be just for libarary tokens - also business's should register their employees cars and tokens issued that only work on meters designated for business tokens -