A Tale of 2 Cities

by Tina Traster

Red Bank-dubbed "Dead Bank" a decade ago-has transformed itself from a blue-collar bastion to an upscale utopia. Storefronts along Broad and Monmouth streets, the heart of downtown, brim with gourmet edibles, coffee houses, boutiques, art galleries, bookstores, music shops and home-furnishing establishments. Music aficionados come to the Count Basic Theatre (Basic was a native son) for big-name jazz, blues, folk and classical acts. Seasonal festivals include The Red Bank Jazz and Blues Festival, a three-day music and food jam in June, and the Red Bank Street Fair in September. Both events attract thousands to this 1.7-square-mile peninsula city that juts into the serpentine Navesink River.

Much of the credit for resurrecting Red Bank belongs to RiverCenter, a business and government group that formed a special improvement district in 1991 to revitalize the downtown.

That renaissance spilled over from the East Side into the West Side, also known as the Arts and Antiques District. This area, an eclectic mix of former factory and wooden warehouse buildings, has more recently morphed into a Soho-style blend of galleries, antique sellers, restaurants and offices. Progress in this district began a decade ago when a World War 1 and 11 coat factory owned by the Eisner family (as in Walt Disney's Michael Eisner) was renovated into the Galleria, now a commercial and retail space.

What certainly doesn't hurt Red Bank's chic status is that you can often spot celebrities like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, who both live nearby, at the local watering holes and music shops. They're not the town's only A-list visitors. Offbeat independent filmmaker Kevin Smith (Chasing Amy, Clerks and Dogma) has his office and a comic book store here called Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash. And talk-show host Geraldo Rivera owns the local weekly newspaper, the Two River Times.

"The rising tide lifts all boats," says Jeff MacPherson, a realtor at Murphy Realty Preferred Homes in Red Bank. "The same is true with Red Bank. This is a small town. It's like Bedford Falls in It's a Wonderful Life, where everyone is interested in everybody winning. The community thing is important here."

A good place to begin a jaunt in Red Bank is in the Arts and Antiques District, where you'll find more than 250 dealers. Grab a cup of java at the House of Coffee, a trendy eatery in the Galleria on the corner of West Front Street and Bridge Avenue. From there, meander along West Front Street, where you'll find a fistful of antique dealers along with the cavernous Antiques Center-three connected buildings under one roof. Antiques range from French and English collectibles and furniture to vintage copies of TV Guide.

Besides being a center for arts and culture, Red Bank is a town of plentyplenty of eating and shopping, that is. There are four coffee houses, a dozen jewelry stores, eight music stores and more than 70 restaurants. Broad Street is also home to Restoration Hardware, a Californiabased home-furnishings and hardware store, and The Bon Ton, a York, Pennsylvania-based fashion retailer.

Property prices in Red Bank reflect its recent good fortune. MacPherson says residential prices have doubled in the past five years. Commercial leases on Broad Street also have doubled (leasing space costs between $21 and $30 per square foot), while prices in the West Side Arts and Antiques District have increased fourfold over the same period.

"The West Side is the hottest spot in town," says Mayor Edward McKenna, Jr., who is roundly praised as the catalyst for Red Bank's comeback. "Anything goes in this part of Red Bank. It is informal and eclectic. There's a great Italian food market and a unique place like Aphrodisia, which imports artifacts, sculpture and clothing from Africa. And, of course, Red Bank has also become known as an antiques mecca." When you're shopped out, wander north to Marine Park along the Navesink River for a respite from Red Bank's hustle. Take a rest on one of the many park benches here or indulge the kids in a game of hide-and-seek at the playground. Or just sit on the dock of the river and try to imagine what life was like in this river city in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when merchants, millers and fishermen made their living along the Navesink and steamships plied the river. In an ongoing cycle of reinvention, Red Bank once again has drawn visitors and businesses to this riverside town, where many have discovered a new life in this old city.

Re-printed with permission from New Jersey SAVVY LIVING Volume 6 No. 3, Summer 2002.