Two Stores Open at Riya Plaza..More to Come

A Taste of Paris in Kendall Park

Farrida Kpamegan, a native of Benin, opened her first business on Saturday.

Les Delices bakery, or should I say patisserie, opened at Riya Plaza, at the Finnegans Lane intersection, on Saturday, Dec. 2. It's the dream of Farrida Kpamegan, who came to the U.S. 16 years ago. She studied at the Institute of Culinary Education to become a pastry chef, then worked for several years before opening her business in Kendall Park. She chose the location because it's very close to her home, and there's a lot of traffic along Route 27.

Among the Les Delices' offerings are speculos cookies, a European treat.

                                     

The bakery has a bit of a European air to it, since it specializes in French pastries, such as croissants and French macarons (not to be confused with macaroons, the coconut cookies). It also offers coffee and espresso, as well as quiches, sandwiches and soups.
Kpamegan says she's done some advertising and is still working on a website.

Time to Pamper Nails

The New Nail Time & Spa also opened about a week ago, according to an employee working there. That makes it the fifth nail salon in the area. The salon offers manicures, pedicures, aromatherapy, nail enhancements and waxing, according to its website.

Pie Five Pizza is gearing up for its opening. Signs are posted on 27 advertising that it's now hiring.

Also at Riya Plaza, construction is taking place in the end unit at the north of the strip mall. The permit posted on the window says the tenant is Ember, which is an Indian restaurant and bar that's currently located on Route 1 near the Deans Lane intersection in Monmouth Junction.

What's Happening at Franklin Towne Center?

In Franklin Towne Center, work has started on the space next to Douglass Pizza & Grill. Perhaps it's the new Indian restaurant that I've heard is planned for that shopping center. It seems a little unusual that workmen were jackhammering in the space on Monday evening at about 6:30. No construction permit was posted on the door or windows.

On Monday evening, workers jackhammer in the space next to Douglass Pizza & Grill.

NYC Commuters Get Another Option

One thing that Route 27 offers that many New Jersey suburbs don't is mass transit. For years, Suburban Transit, owned by U.K.-based Stagecoach Group, was the only option for commuters heading to New York. Now it has some competition. In May 2016, Ourbus started service from Kendall Park/Franklin Park to the city. 

Route 27: At least it has access to mass transit.

Twice a Day

The disadvantage to Ourbus? It only has two departure times in the morning, the same for the return trip in the evening. Suburban Transit runs twice an hour for most of the day and even more often during rush hours. The Ourbus route, though, is an express. There are no local stops in North Brunswick and New Brunswick.

The Ourbus route begins at Kendall Park Roller Skating Rink at 6:30 and 7:00 each morning then goes to Green Hill Manor apartment complex, Stillwell Road, and Kendall Park Post Office before heading to New York. Once in the city, it makes stops at Times Square, Bryant Park, and Grand Central. In the evening, service departs from Grand Central at 5:10 and 5:55.

Ourbus is now offering service to and from the city...

...which means competition for Suburban Transit.

Another advantage is the cost. The fare is $9.25 each way, making it $18.50 for a round trip. That compares with Suburban Transit's round trip fare of $25.44. Suburban Transit's monthly pass at $410 equates to about $9.32 per trip for the month of October if you used it for five round-trips per week (at 22 working days in the month).

Note: Thanks to my husband for noticing the Ourbus driving up Route 27 today.

Online Tickets

With Ourbus, you buy your tickets online, and of course, they have an app for your smartphone. So you skip waiting in line at a bus station to buy tickets. Ourbus also had had service from Montgomery and Rocky Hill service, but that was discontinued as of Oct. 2.

Franklin Towne Sharing Center?

Following up on my post from Oct. 10, perhaps the space that was occupied by Stein Mart, can now be used as a shared-office space, a la WeWork buying the flagship Lord & Taylor store in New York from Hudson's Bay Co.Click for press release. That would be one way to repurpose traditional retail space into a millennial sharing economy enterprise.

Riya Plaza Update

Les Delices Bakery at Riya Plaza is progressing toward opening. It now has help wanted signs up for bakers and sales staff.

New Nail and Spa Time, also in Riya Plaza, looks close to opening.

"This Stretch of 27" covers business on Route 27 between Finnegan's Lane and Route 518. What's your story? Email me at lkiesche@gmail.com

Liz Kiesche
Liz, a business journalist, formerly worked for Bloomberg News in Princeton and New York.