North Caldwell Artist Wins Best in Show at Art on the Avenue

The Caldwell Merchants Association awarded multiple awards to artists at the fourth annual event on Bloomfield Avenue.

A North Caldwell artist won Best in Show at the annual Art on the Avenue at the start of June.  Steve Van Zandt was awarded Best in Show at the event on Bloomfield Avenue on June 1. His art work won him a cash prize of $1,150.  Other winners included: Art on the Avenue, put on for a fourth year in a row by the Caldwell Merchants Association, featured 59 artists and crafters from throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Professional judges selected pieces to be displayed in the Winner's Circle on The Caldwell Green. 

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Restaurant Guide to Art on the Avenue This Saturday

Six of Caldwell’s restaurants will participate in a price-fixed lunch menu during the event, which will run between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Bloomfield Avenue.

Local restaurants will be offering lunch specials during the fourth annual Art on the Avenue this Saturday Six of Caldwell’s restaurants will participate in a price-fixed lunch menu during the event, which will run between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Bloomfield Avenue. Just ask for the Art on the Avenue Special! The restaurants offering specially priced menu items are:  “For $9.95 anyone can eat a great lunch at one of the participating restaurants,” said Ryan Dorchak, member of the Merchants Association and owner of the Cloverleaf Tavern.  “We have such a good variety of restaurants in town as you can see from these six restaurants participating in the prix fixe luncheons.” Art on the Avenue, put on by the Caldwell Merchants’ Association, will …

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Black Maria Film Festival Stops in Caldwell Saturday

Festival takes its name from first motion picture studio built by Thomas Edison.

The Black Maria Film & Video Festival returns to Caldwell on Saturday, April 20. The festival will be held once again at Caldwell Flowerland, 329 Bloomfield Ave., at 4:30 p.m. The Black Maria takes its name from the first motion picture studio designed and built by Thomas Edison in 1893.  The 90-minute program will feature a selection of this year’s winners of short international films with commentary by a festival spokesperson. Tickets are $12 each and are available in advance at Flowerland as well as at the door on the day of the event. Festival goers can receive a 20 percent discount on dinner by showing their movie ticket at Cedar Grill, The Cloverleaf Tavern, Ocha Sushi and Hog Wild BBQ. The event is sponsored by the Caldwell …

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Caldwell Moves to Bag Meters, Boost Business

Kelley: “I think the fear is developing the reputation of being a customer-unfriendly town.”

A recommendation from the borough’s merchants association to offer free parking one Saturday a month was approved unanimously by the Caldwell Council Tuesday night. The suggestion was made at a recent meeting of the Caldwell Merchants Association, attended by the mayor and a councilman, where members discussed numerous ideas to boost business in the borough. The Caldwell Police will bag the 200 meters in the business district on Friday evenings before the first Saturday of the month starting with April 6, Mayor Ann Dassing said. The mayor said two- and three-hour parking limits will still be enforced. Borough Administrator Paul Carelli estimated the revenue from meters on a Saturday is in the area of $300.  Councilman John Kelley attended …

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Caldwell Business Owners Invited to Shop Caldwell Meeting

Caldwell Merchants Association, mayor exploring program to bring more business to borough.

All Caldwell business owners are invited to the Caldwell Community Center on Thursday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m., to learn more about Shop Caldwell, a program that would reward residents of the borough with property tax credits or rebate checks for shopping in town. The following background about the proposed program was provided by the Caldwell Merchants Association:  Caldwell merchants and Mayor Ann Dassing are exploring a unique program to bring more business to Caldwell and reward residents at the same time, either with a rebate on property taxes or, for non-property owners, as an annual rebate check. Here's how the program works: The program is designed to be tailored to the needs of each individual business. Each business owner determines …

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Small Business Saturday a Boon for Local Businesses

Nov. 24 was a big day in Caldwell complete with special incentives, free parking and a visit from Santa Claus.

Children from West Essex and beyond lined up to take photos with Santa Claus at Caldwell Flowerland Saturday.  Mr. Claus was escorted by Caldwell Police to the festively decorated shop where he spent the day listening to children's wish lists and smiling for photographs.  The annual tradition was sponsored by the Caldwell Merchants Association. New this year was a Holiday Treasure Hunt. Children and their families visited various shops in the downtown looking for a hidden gnome. At the end of the hunt, children were presented with special goodie bags. The holiday events coincided with the third annual Small Business Saturday, a "Shop Small" initiative founded by American Express.  Pink Bungalow, Smith & Company and Runway saw an influx of …

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Santa Coming to Caldwell Saturday

Photo-ops with Santa and Holiday Treasure Hunt this weekend sponsored by Caldwell Merchants Association.

Caldwell Flowerland will once again host pictures with Santa on Saturday, Nov. 24. Mr. Claus will arrive at 329 Bloomfield Ave. in an antique Studebaker at 10 a.m. and will be available for photo-ops until 2 p.m. Alex Rodrigues of Caldwell-based W8 Photography will set up a portable photography studio inside Flowerland. Children, as well as pets, are invited to pose with Santa in the winter wonderland created by Caldwell Flowerland owners Frank and Karen Della Santi. Photo packages are $30 and pictures will be available the same day at The Frame Shop/Lovely Living Interiors, where framing will be offered and Christmas cards can be ordered. Parents can take their own photos if they wish. Plus, take part in the new Holiday Treasure Hunt. …

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PHOTOS: Art on the Avenue

Caldwell Merchants Association sponsors annual art show in downtown.

The work of more than three dozen artists and crafters lined Bloomfield Avenue Saturday for the Caldwell Merchants Association's annual Art on the Avenue. Awards were presented at the Winner's Circle on the Green for Best in Show ($500), as well as Awards of Excellence ($150), Awards of Merit ($50) and Honorable Mentions ($25). (See winnners below.) Among the artists was Caldwell resident Brian Bromborsky, a 2001 James Caldwell High School graduate. This was the first Art on the Avenue for the illustrator who attended Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida and teaches kindergarten through eighth grade at Ann Street School in Newark.  Bromborsky said his style ranges from subconscious to free flowing to representational. In addition …

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Art on the Avenue Seeks Artists, Crafters

Applications now available for June 9 art display and sale along Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell.

The streets of downtown Caldwell will once again be lined with works of art when the Caldwell Merchants Association’s Art on the Avenue returns on Saturday, June 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fine artists and crafters interested in displaying and selling their work at Art on the Avenue can find an application at www.caldwellmerchants.com. Applications are also available at Lovely Living Interiors in Caldwell, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. All mediums are welcome and each artist will be provided with an 8-foot by 12-foot length of fencing on which to display their work. Professional jurors will select pieces the best pieces from the show to be presented in the Winners’s Circle on the Caldwell Green, located at the …

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