3-16 January 2012

Clifton Merchant • January 2012 3

January 2012• Clifton Merchant4

From the Editor

Clifton Merchant • January 2012 5

16,000 Magazines

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Editor & PublisherTom Hawrylko

Business ManagerCheryl Hawrylko

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Staff WriterJoe Hawrylko

Contributing WritersIrene Jarosewich, CarolLeonard, Rich DeLotto,Don Lotz, Jack DeVries© 2012 Tomahawk Promotions

1288 Main AvenueDowntown Clifton, NJ 07011

Like so many of the businesses which we have written aboutover our 17 years, it is time to freshen up and make things new. Over the past few months, we have been experimenting with

color and different papers. With this edition you will notice allour pages are now printed on a high quality, white recyclednewsprint. This allows us to publish our photographs in color,making better use of this pallette which we present to you thefirst Friday of every month. Additionally, we are creating awebsite at www.cliftonmerchant.com. There you will find aportfolio of 185 covers dating back to the first edition of thismagazine, which began in October, 1995. We hope you enjoy these innovations and invite you to share

your comments or suggestions on how to make our magazineeven better. As always, thanks to our readers and advertisersfor their continued support and trust.

—Tom Hawrylko

16 years of our covers, 185 in total...

cliftonmerchant.com

New Year, New Look

January 2012• Clifton Merchant6

Takes on the Economy

“We are open three nights aweek until 10 pm and thattells you something,” saidDiaz of her Main Ave. store.“People are having moreparties at home and that is agood indicator too. But thefact remains is that I am lucky. I have a fulltime job with the state and the two incomescombined are a real blessing.”

Lucy Diaz, The King’s Party House

Penkalsky, also Preisdent ofthe Historic Botany SID,said he hopes the govern-ment would give incentivesto bring back industry. HisBotany Village taverndepended on those factory

workers. “With my end of the business incatering, you lose all that with those com-panies gone. Those companies used to haveretirement dinners, family parties, all thatdown here. But that stuff has dwindled.”

Johnny Penkalsky, Johnny’s Bar

Community Comments

Keith Krehel, Krehel Automotive Repair/Snowbusters

Ask Krehel about the economy and he’ll tell you that federal andstate regulations are making it tougher to do business at hisPaulison Ave. location. “When we expanded our building wewere going to add solar. But when the bids came in, the job basi-cally doubled in price due to prevailing wage issues. I think thatif politicians are serious about improving the condition for busi-ness, they would make New Jersey a Right-to-Work state.”

Clifton Merchant • January 2012 7

yIf signs being sold and fabricatedby Sign*A*Rama on�Van�Houten

Ave.� are� an� indicator� of� the

economy,� then� Mike� Placko� said

2012�looks�bright.

“We� opened� a� second� location,

hired�two�service�techs�and�full�time

fabricators� to� be� able� to� keep� up

with� our� work� load,”� said� Placko.

His� fabrication� shop� in� Clifton’s

industrial� section� allows� him� to

control�his�product�from�concept�to

manufacturing� to� installation.� “At

our� Van� Houten� Ave.� store,� we

added�a�sales�person�and�our� three

designers�are�busy�all�day.”��

Placko’s� business� can� certainly

be�measured�by�his�installations�and

he� sees� many� new� entrepreneurs

investing�in�their�dreams.��The�2001

CHS�grad� should� know.� He� made

his� own� early� start,� buying� the

national�franchise�when�he�was�22.Mike Placko, pictured at right, owner of Sign*A*Rama on Van Houten Ave., saidthings are looking up. He is pictured with Russell John, a new salesman for the firm.

January 2012• Clifton Merchant8

Community Comments

“Here are two examples ofexcessive government regu-lations on community bankslikes ours that should havebeen directed at the 20 bigbanks that caused our nation’s financialmess,” said Celentano, Chair and CEO ofClifton Savings Bancorp, Inc. “We have one of the lowest records for

non performing loans and we have alwaysbeen well capitalized. But the governmentcomes along and make us hire a risk man-ager. Next it was a compliance officer todocument that we comply with their regs toensure higher percentage of capital. Boththose things we were already doing.Community banks did not cause this messbut we are being penalized. It's wild.”Celentano sees another area where

politicians should be involved but are not. “Government has made it easy to shift

jobs overseas. What it should do is taxthose companies for the profit they make onthat cheap labor. That would be an incen-tive for these firms to hire people in ourcountry, creating jobs here in the USA.Jobs here will grow our economy.”

John A. Celentano Jr., Clifton Savings Great rates and inventory make

2012 the year of the buyer.“There’s a definite improvementin the market,” said Tselepis.“Buyers who waited for rockbottom prices know now is thetime to buy. They’ve been talking about interestrate increase. If people don’t take advantage in2012, they may end up kicking themselves.”

Nick Tselepis, Nicholas Real Estate

For non-profits, 2012 may proveto be a time for greater need interms of service but lean when itcomes to raising funds.“It’s not so much the enroll-

ment numbers as it is the grants,”explained Bob Foster, CB&GCExecutive Director. The non-profit relies heavilyon contributions, which have been cut during therecession. “There’s no state money or localmoney. The New Jersey Three Corporation was apublic and state venture for the after school pro-gram we had in School 17. The state pulled all themoney for it. It’s done. Corporate funding isdown, state and local funding is down and individ-ual donations are down.”

Bob Foster, Boys & Girls Club

Name: __________________________________________________________________________Address: ________________________________________________________________________City: _______________________________________State:____________________________________Zip:______________________Phone:_____________________________________________Email:________________________________________________________________________PLEASE MAKE CHECKS TO TOMAHAWK PROMOTIONS, 1288 MAIN AVE., CLIFTON, NJ 07011

Have Clifton Merchant Mailed.$27/YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONSorry�but�due�to�problems�with�Bulk�Mail�Delivery�we�no�longer�offer�a�$16�rate�for�Clifton�Subscribers.

Clifton Merchant • January 2012 9

Fernando Davila and JudithFabero are�optimistic�and�feel�there

is�a�market�for�small�businesses�like

theirs.� �Their� quiet� and� relaxing�La

Guitarra� Cafe� at� 1159� Main� Ave.,

opens� at� 7� am� six� days� a� week� to

offer�breakfast�and�lunch�to�workers

in� local� firms.� � On� Friday� and

Saturday�nights,�La�Guitarra�is�open

late� for� live� music� and� open� mic.

Visitors� can� relax� in� their� lounge,

perform�music�or�read�poetry.��

“Downtown�Clifton� is� great.� � It’s

busy� and�diverse�with� so�many� cars

passing�by.��With�our�lounge�and�good

food,�we�think�we�can�make�it�work.

That’s� why� we� added� the� evening

hours,”�said�Fabero.��

Fernando Davila and Judith Fabero recently opened La Guitarra Cafe at 1159 MainAve. During the day, the cafe opens at 7 am and offers breakfast and lunch. OnFriday and Saturday nights, La Guitarra features live music and open mic sessions.

t

eRecognized as one of Clifton’s go-to attorneysfor land use laws, Carlet said that new develop-ment has stalled this past year, a trend hedoesn’t see changing due to a few factors. “The economy and lack of any vacant

land in Clifton,” explained the foundingpartner of Carlet, Garrison, Klein &Zaretsky. In the past, developers had torndown abandoned industrial buildings to makeway for new commercial developments. “Wedon’t have any big industries. They’re all down

now. If you drive down Rt. 3, except for Roche,everything else is filled and they’re not industri-

al. They’re all commercial.” Even in other districts of the city, the

situation is the same. “It’s been very quiet. Business has

been very slow. There’s no place left tobuild,” added Carlet. Instead, he

expects new businesses to utilize and retro fitexisting space rather than demolishing andstarting from scratch as was done in the past.

Frank Carlet, real estate attorney

January 2012• Clifton Merchant10

Year in Review

Faces&Events of

2011

A look back in photos at 2011...

Top: On Jan. 27, Clifton residents woke up to anestimated 19 inches of snow, with snow drifts tow-ering much higher. Hannah and Lukas Kulesa arepictured on top of one of the drifts in front of AbleHardware, which their family owns.

Middle left: Two girls cheer on competitors at theKnights of Columbus Tank Pull Event which tookplace on June 26 on Clifton Ave.

April Student of the Month Antonio Palomba.

Taras Petryshyn, a fifth grade teacher at School 8,was profiled in October.

Participants in the Knights of Columbus Tank Pull.

Clifton Merchant • January 2012 11

Above: Preparing for the 7th annual Locks of Love cutathon at Christopher Columbus Middle School are 6th grader Aseeal Yasinand teacher Lisa Poggi who plan on donating their hair on May 2, 2012. Top right: Amanda Marakovitz, Melaina Oliveras,Kinnery Chaudhari, Gabriela Punales and Jenna Vallo, featured in the Sept. story, Growing from 9/11. Below: Ray Lil, and hisgrandchild at the 13th Annual Family Super Bowl Party on Feb. 6. Halloween 2011 came a day late due to a snow storm.

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January 2012• Clifton Merchant12

Year in Review

Santa Claus visits the Passaic CountyElks CP Center on Main Ave. Dec. 10.

Shaban ‘Magdi Eldomiaty in Egyptduring the Arab Spring revolution,who is profiled in our October edition.

Left, Assemblyman Thomas Giblinhosted a legislative breakfast on Dec.14. Among those attending includeTerri Duda from Berkeley College,Giblin, Attorney Angelo C. Morresi,Passaic County EconomicDevelopment Director DeborahHoffman, as well as Andrew Musickand Frank Robinson of the NJBusiness & Industry Association.

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Clifton Merchant • January 2012 13

From Aches & Pains...

Dr. Michael Basista, Medical Director of Immedicenter

Immedicenter1355 Broad St. • Clifton • 973-778-5566www.immedicenter.com

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CHS Commencement on June 27.

The howling winds and pouring rainof Hurricane Irene may have causedchaos and mayhem elsewhere in thestate, but it was not enough to stop thewedding of Ryan and Sharon Meltzerwho stood before the rabbi on Aug. 26,

January 2012• Clifton Merchant14

Year in Review

From May 9-12,they bicycled from Clifton toWashington DC aspart of the PoliceUnity tour: Brian

Fopma, Richard

DiBello, Robert

Bais, Randy

Colondres, John

Kavakich, David

Kishbaugh and

Tom Hawrylko.

For details or tobe a sponsor ofthe 2012 event,call Hawrylkoat 973-253-4400.

In the early morning hours of Nov. 6, the Clifton Fire Dept. received a call for that a fire had trapped a family inside of an

Elmwood Dr. home. Firefighters from Station 2—which was nearly closed just a few years ago—responded in just one minute,

and quickly saved a 10 year old boy from the blaze. Those who responded are above, from left: Jason McGurk, Daniel Hertel,

Steven Turi, Kenneth Prior, Thomas Tafro, Deputy Chief Leopold Loder, Jr. and Lt. William Ricci.

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Clifton Merchant • January 2012 15

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January 2012• Clifton Merchant16

Year in Review

The Hawks, coached by Jesse Hasting and Joe Hawrylko,participated in the Fall Clifton Stallions Rec League, nowin its second year at the new Athenia Steel Park.

Neal Goldenberg holds a small turbine manufactured atPolymer Technologies on Clifton Blvd.