Suburban satire? First Amendment chest-beating? Or simply an eyesore? This oil tank, or whatever it is, on Chapman Place in Glen Ridge has become the canvas for of a running series of gags. Last week, the sign said, "Guess how many M&M's are inside?" This week, the sign said this.
What would you say if this was sitting next door to your house?
Today's New York Times features an article on a subject we know all too well: people who seek fame in the blogosphere by commenting on popular blogs. One media expert says blogs have become the new talk radio. One big-shot commenter admits, "It’s easier to join in on a conversation than to start one."
You don't say.
Like the narrator of the Elton John song "Rocket Man," frequent commenters can spend a little time every day inhabiting the identity of their wished-for selves — Mr. Hsiao becomes DaShiv, or Georgia Logothetis, a second-year lawyer in Chicago, metamorphoses into the respected liberal commenter georgia10 on Daily Kos. Online they indulge the sweet fantasy that "I’m not the man they think I am at home.""You are one of the millions of people who sit at a computer all day," said Marshall Poe, a professor of history and new media at the University of Iowa, who has studied Internet communities. "Every hour you have 10 minutes where you’re not doing anything productive at work, and you can’t look at porn. So you make a comment and fulfill this desire to show yourself off as a smarty-pants."
Interesting this article should show up this week, after I've gotten two fresh complaints that the commenting on Baristanet has again turned corrosive. Here's one.
I didn't quite know how to say this, but I think you'll "get" what I'm saying, so I'll just "say" it. You know how much I love your writing; your wit and playfullness. That's what made Baristanet so beloved to me. But now I feel like that jovial spirit is being over taken by the toxic posts attached to the articles and because of that, I am turned off by the site now.
And there was this caustic thread on a person near and dear to my heart.
So, dear reader, or not-so-dear reader, as the case may be. What do you think of the Smarty Pantses who lurk here? Who deserves praise for brightening up the conversation? And who should be thrown off the island?
Image is the Baristaville cast of characters, Simpsons-style, by Katie.
There's a deadline you soccer fans might not want to miss this weekend: Thanks to some last-minute field juggling, Montclair United Soccer Club will have a 9th/10th grade league this season. Space is limited. Registration is first come/first served on Saturday, 3-5pm, at Northeast School. We're told that the co-ed teams will be balanced by grade, gender, number of players and talent level. Dress to play: Odds are some pick-up games will be happening during registration.
You can always check Baristanet's calendar to find out what's going on, but Montclair Arts Council also keeps us au courant about a ton of cool music, art, film, literary and cultural events happening each week.
The annual Watchung Plaza Street Fair gets in gear today, Saturday, September 29, at 10 am. Mingle with your neighbors and friends, treat the kids to pony rides, face painting, and more -there'll be shopping bargains at Plaza stores. Stop by Watchung Booksellers at 1 pm and meet Chief Tommy J. Russo for a book signing of "Street Kid to Top Cop." At 2 pm, there's an Artist Signing of Garden Gallery 2008 Weekly Engagement Planner with Sharon Pitts.
The opening last night of Tony Award winning Urinetown at the Studio Playhouse looks like a winner - "a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold." Urinetown will have a three-week run.
Today, MFEE sponsors Ropes and Hopes, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the David Greenwald Challenge Course. 11-2 pm at Rand Park.
Don't forget it's all happening at the zoo - Free admission today, 10-2pm, at Turtle Back Zoo.
From NJ.com:
Following the controversial appearance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Columbia University this Monday, questions have been raised about the University's decision to host such an appearance.
NJ Voices asked several NJ academic instituions about their take on the event. Dr. Susan A. Cole, President at Monclair State University responds:
"The opportunity for students to have direct contact with a sitting head of state, especially under circumstances where the individual can be engaged in discussion, constitutes a powerful educational experiential.Whether the particular head of state is viewed as a beneficent or a malignant force in the world, he exists, and the more students understand about the people who govern the world's nations, the better prepared they will be, when their turn comes, to lead constructively and intelligently. In my view, an opportunity to learn should almost always trump most other considerations on a university campus."
Now, Ahmadinejad has a invited Bush to speak at a university in Tehran. Polite retaliation? What kind of a welcome do you think he'll get?
It's going to be jumpin' tomorrow because Montclair's Crane Park (you know, the little triangular park behind Lackawanna Plaza) is having a party, 11-4 pm. It's all free, family-friendly fun.
Enjoy live music by The Dogz, then cuddle up with the dogs, presented by PAWS (adoptions encouraged). There'll be yoga and taekwon-do demonstrations, cookie decorating, capoeira, bookbinding, make-up by Bobbie Brown, face-painting, balloon sculpture and parachute games for the kids.
Team Barista will be hangin', passing out free Baristanet whizbees (because we can't call them Frisbees). Stop by and say hi. But wait, there's more:
Grand Opening and free champagne, at Chalk Farm, Glenridge Avenue's newest arrival...
Broadway actor Jennifer Rae Beck moved to Montclair last year with hubby and kids, and just opened her dream store: a collection of home decor eclectica, furntiture, art, and baby gifts with a heavy dose of vintage. Think shabby chic - unusual items you'd expect to see in Anthropologie or ABC Carpets. Jen's reinvented the old Montclair Glass store at 182 Glenridge Ave, naming her latest baby after a favorite tube stop in London.
What we liked: a burlap covered chaise, an iron chandelier with milky blue glass, vintage repro French linens, old French school maps, original sepia tint photographs, chinese thermoses, and Parisian bistro wine glasses...but don't get me started.
Say hi to Jen on her opening day, enjoy some bubbly. The first 10 people to tell her they read about the store on Baristanet will get a free gift. Open every day except Monday. 973-744-7887
From Lt. James Carlucci, MPD:
Montclair Resident Bryan Foster, age 19, has been arrested and charged with burglary and criminal trespass.
On September 25, at approximately 1:30 am, a resident called police to report a man trying to break into his car.
The witness was on his front porch when he heard a clicking noise coming from his driveway, then saw the interior light of his vehicle turn on. When he saw the suspect, the witness told the man to get away from his vehicle. The suspect replied, "Alright, alright," and began walking south on Montclair Avenue near McDonough Street.
The witness described the suspect as a white male with long bushy hair, 5'9"-6'0" wearing a white shirt and a white ball cap on backwards.
Soon after, officers learned a possible suspect was detained on Fairfield Street. Foster was detained by police after he was found to match the description and then positively identified by the witness as the person attempting to enter his vehicle. Foster was placed under arrest; bail was set at $10,000 bond/ $1,000 cash.
Baristaville hot women: are you busy Sunday night? Soprano Sue sends us this Craigs List casting call for a woman with a great figure, who's not shy about showing it off...
Seeking girl for nude scene in a drama seriesWe're in search of a young actress/model (18-25) who is willing to 'bare all' in a 10 - 15 second segment in a current drama series in production. This is NOT a love scene and there is absolutely no physical contact whatsoever. This is an exterior shot in front of a house in Montclair, NJ that will be on a closed set with minimal crew present. It will also be shot at night.
This is a paid part and will take about an hour or so. We're looking to shoot this Sunday night in Montclair. Transportation, food, etc. will all be taken care of.Again, we're looking for an 18-25 year old girl in very good shape for this part.
VERY serious inquiries only. Please e-mail if interested in a meeting... Compensation: $300 min. for the hour
All the details here. And tip the Baristas if you know who gets the part...
Essex County Freeholders met Wednesday night in Montclair and voted in favor of a 10-day deer shoot to control the deer population in South Mountain Reservation. Now, reports The Star Ledger (link not available), they're looking for volunteer shooters to kill 150 deer this January and February.
More wildlife news: New Jersey black bears have received another year of amnesty. NJ Fish and Game Division lost an appeal in court, and were denied permission to schedule a controlled bear hunt. From The Star Ledger:
"Bear management is a topic that sparks widespread disagreement and strong public sentiments," the court said. "The need to give the public sufficient notice of the terms of a proposed bear management policy, and to respond fully to comments received from citizen objectors and advocates alike, is particularly salient here."Animal rights groups -- which back the state's current position of managing the bear population with nonlethal methods, like securing garbage and educating the public -- cheered the decision.
Ok, I'll admit it, I'm clueless about baseball. Thanks to Iceman, and a Baseball-for-Dummies primer from Barista Deb, I get that the Mets have really blown it the last two weeks, after being in the lead all season... And do they even have a chance to make it to the play-offs? Here's your open thread to rant and rave...
Realtors have been predicting for some time that the first casualty of a Real Estate downturn would be that not so big "Green Monster."
Foxtons, a Long Branch-based real estate company that made a marketing splash with its two per cent commissions, said Wednesday night it is shutting down.
With a backlog of 4400 active listings, the 8 year old company said it is contemplating bankruptcy for an orderly shutdown, and it will continue only with a skeleton crew, laying off 350 of its 380 employees.
As The Asbury Park Press put it:
The decision marks the latest casualty in the softening real estate industry, and it brings a stunning end to a company that was a lightning rod among real estate agencies.
From EcoRealty
The unresolved question is the fate of the 4400 sellers who remain legally tied to Foxtons until their listing agreements expire. These long term agreements may be considered "assets" in a bankruptcy filing. Their homes can only be shown by appointments made by the few remaining employees. That's about 130 sellers per employee.
The phones went unanswered at corporate headquarters yesterday. Read more about this here.
A man who threatened to "shoot all the white people on campus...and rape all the black women" at the MSU campus has been arrested and criminally charged for making terroristic threats.
Chief Paul M. Cell says his arrest came about after receiving several tips from the public when they issued an alert last Friday. At first, MSU police said in the same alert the man's threats did not appear to be a credible or present a danger to the community. University police did not reveal the man's identity, but say he was a visitor to the campus.
Stores along Pine Street and Glenridge Ave, including Ma Dear's and The Upscale Thrift Shop, show their support for the Jena 6.
Photos: Gerard Bizzaro
The Glen Ridge Free Public Library will be moving to the basement of the Women's Club starting in November, while its building gets a $1.2 million facelift. Some of the collection will move, but much will go in storage.
We expect to offer a scaled down version of our collection that will include selections from our Children’s Collection, best sellers, periodicals, videos and Reference collection. Additionally, we plan to have our Historical Collection available on a limited basis as we need to digitize and reorganize this vital community resource. The rest of our collection will be boxed and stored at an alternative location as will most of our furniture.
The good news is that the library still plans to offer BCCLS pickups at the temporary location, which will allow Ridgers access to the resources of 73 other north Jersey libraries, ordered from the comfort of home, during the dislocation.
The library does ask parents who use the library as a free aftercare space to find other places for their kids to hang out after school during th renovation.
If you live at 292 Grove Street (pictured) and you just happened to be reading the Montclair Times this morning, you were surprised to learn that your house sold for almost $6 million. And then the Cupid of typos shot an arrow and popped that lovely real estate bubble fantasy.
Meanwhile, forget blue state, red state for a moment. Find out if you live in a green, cream, red or peach neighborhood and what it all means for sales prices of area homes here.
Better not put Big League Chew in your kid's next birthday goody bags. And I guess passing out chocolate cigars is a no-no, too. The township of Woodbridge is looking to further outlaw any candy and gum that resemble tobacco products reports Newsday.
Now, it may ban all shops from selling such goods, including chocolate cigars and bubble gum shredded to resemble chewing tobacco. Currently vendors at public events in town can't sell the stuff."We'll see if we can legally do it," Councilman Charles Kenny, a proponent of the ban, told The Star-Ledger of Newark in Wednesday's editions.
Meanwhile, Burger King has come up with fake fries for kids...
In what looks like an April Fool's gag or a story on Onion, Burger King announced it would sell fresh apple fries next spring. These are apples cut to look like fries.
For BK, the Fresh Apple Fries took years to develop. "We didn't want to do apple slices just to do slices," says BK's Cindy Syracuse. "We wanted to do something that parents felt good about buying."
What exactly is wrong with apples that look like apples? And will eating fake fries leads to eating real fries? How about it Baristaville - what's worse? Candy cigarettes or fake fries?
The year's first armed robbery in Cedar Grove have police looking for three white males in connection with armed robbery late Tuesday of a food delivery driver on Cedar Grove's Second Avenue, according to the Star Ledger.
The attackers, described only as white males in their early to mid 20s, fled in a white car after taking cash, credit cards, the driver's cell phone and car keys, police said of the brazen robbery. "They took the food, too," police said.
The bogus order of chicken with broccoli and fried rice was being delivered by the victim from Hunan Wok in Little Falls to a house in Cedar Grove. The attackers were waiting across the street.
For all the readers nostalgic for Bond's and the Awful Awful, the beloved ice cream haunt is getting its own memorial. From Icecreamgirl's blog...
Does anyone remember Bond's Ice Cream of Northern N.J. in the late 1930's until they closed in the early 1970's? There is going to be a Dedication of a Plaque honoring Bond's Ice Cream on the Valley Road site where Bond's was located in Montclair, N.J. on Saturday Oct. 6th. It will be held after the football game around 4 p.m.
More talk here at Roadfood.
Readers gave the Montclair Times a verbal spanking this week for running a mean-spirited cartoon last week directed at Mayor Ed Remsen.
Last week's cartoon portraying Ed Remsen, an honest, very hardworking, smart, caring, intelligent mayor (and coach), as someone to be hated or spurned was one of the worst editorial cartoons I've seen in your paper. Columnist Dave Astor's usually baseless commentary was almost as bad.
The letters of outrage are printed here and here and here . The Montclair Times shoots back with more talking animals, in this week's cartoon.
More than 60 people were arrested for underage drinking at a party thrown by three Pi Kappa Alpha members at their home in Little Falls early Wednesday morning. From The Montclairion:
All of the party's guests were taken into custody and most were summoned with underage consumption of alcohol, Little Falls police said.According to the landlord, the tenants of 53 Ridge Road, about a mile from campus, moved in just one week prior to the night of the party.
The three tenants named on the lease received charges for providing alcohol to minors, according to police.
Marijuana in a quantity considered significant enough to distribute was also in someone's personal strongbox, according to Lt. Sammy Calafiore of the Little Falls Police Department. Once the resident is identified, "that person will be charged for possession of the drugs," he said."[Responding officers] found marijuana that would lead them to believe they were selling it because of the way it was packaged," said Calafiore, who added that paraphernalia like pipes and dime bags were found at the scene. "I don't know if any harder drugs were found yet."
Tickets are selling fast and furiously for Peak Performances ($15 for every seat)
at MSU's Kasser Theater. If you've got interest in these two shows -- Blind Date in October, and upcoming Dan Zanes in December, get on it fast. When we checked for our own tickets, large blocks of seats were already sold out. What else we noticed: the upcoming season is packed with BAM-worthy, unexpected offerings.
This Saturday, it's Newband, a self-described "traveling circus of new and experimental chamber music." Newband performs on the 31-tone zoomoozophone invented by composer Dean Drummond and on the incredible collection of instruments inherited from the legendary instrument builder, Harry Partch.
For tickets and performance schedules, click here, or call the box office at 973-655-5112.
Who says teachers can't have fun? Renaissance School's Science team, Todd Smith (at left), Carrie Hittel, and Emily Burtnett got the plane ride of their lives when they joined a group of 60 teachers, donned spiffy blue jumpsuits, and experienced "zero-gravity" on G-Force-One.
"It was me who got tossed, and it went awry. I was dropped," reported Burtnett cheerfully. "Then I body-slammed into Carrie. That was definitely a high point of the day."At the memory, the two burst into laughter. As gravity force lowers, it becomes harder to control physical movement. "People think you just float inadvertantly but actually you need to push yourself off. But it takes just the pressure of a single finger, and then you fly," said Burtnett.
But, she added, "If you hit the ceiling or a wall, it hurts. It's not like bouncing on the bottom of a swimming pool full of water, where there's no impact. You definitely feel it when you bash into someone's elbow or something." During the 1 ½-hour flight, there are plenty of mid-air collisions, of course, as teachers learn to maneuver; but there is also laughter, somersaulting, and trying to catch and swallow blobs of water. ("They're not bubbles. It you catch one, you get a whole mouthful of water," Burtnett marvelled.)"It's chaos in slow motion," reported 6th grade science teacher Todd Smith.
"It's dreamlike. You can't even really feel your clothes, because they don't weigh anything," added Emily Burtnett.
"I've been trying desperately to come up with a vocabulary to describe what it was like," said Carrie Hittel, 8th grade science teacher. "Four words came to mind: Surreal. Euphoric. Transcendental. Intense."
Read more about their 16 parabolic dives, experiments, and the angst, on the BOE website . Way to go!!
Girlfriends, get your beautiful face on, scoop up great stuff at discount prices, and top off the evening with a night-cap (or two) at the first annual Montclair Girl's Night Out.
Tomorrow, 4-8 pm, Baristaville gals will start stylin' at Bobbi Brown -The Studio. They'll get a complimentary cosmetic touch-up, a manicure, and more. All Bobbi Brown products are 20% off that night. Then shop 'til ya drop at area shops (listed below) offering special GNO discounts. The party keeps goin' at Egan & Sons - specially priced cocktails, DJ, and (ahem) crazy KARAOKE!
Here are the store who are "in" on GNO: Best Friends Photography, Bikram Yoga, Love My Cake, Chez Renee, The Chocolate Path, The Flour Patch, Kawayan, Parcel, People Store, Prima, Sahana Spa, Tish Shoe Boutique, Tory Janes Shoes, and of course The Studio and Eagan's.
If you're craving some Broadway theatre this week, there's no need to trek through the Lincoln Tunnel. Broadway veteran (and film/TV actor) Bill Bowers is bringing his hit one-man show, "It Goes Without Saying," to Bloomfield's Westminster Arts Center on Thursday and Friday nights.
This 75-minute show is heavy on comedy and Bowers' style has been compared to David Sedaris and other witty monologuers. But the performance also packs a punch: Bowers explores the ways that silence literally and figuratively impacts our lives. Tix run just $15 -- way less that you would have paid if you'd caught the show during its run in NYC. Check out the details here.
This bad-guy didn't line up a getaway car, so he hailed a cab. From The Star Ledger:
A man attempted to hire a taxi cab as a getaway car after robbing a gas station early yesterday morning, police said.The cab was called to Bloomfield Avenue and Ampere Parkway at 2:20 a.m., police spokesman Capt. Chris Goul said. When the cab stopped, the suspect hopped in for a second, asked the driver to wait while he got a friend and then ran toward the Gulf Station on Bloomfield Avenue, the police captain said.
When the suspect returned, he directed the cab driver to take off, police said. But the man saw the gas station attendant frantically waving his arms in his rearview window and told the man to go, Goul said. At that point, the suspect jumped out and ran away.The attendant had a sharp object pressed into his side and was robbed of $100 but wasn't injured, Goul said.
Just in from the Star Ledger...
New Jersey did particularly well in fourth-grade reading scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress, landing among the top four states in the nation with 77 percent of those tested at least at the "basic" level and 43 deemed proficient. The national average was 66 percent basic and 31 percent proficient.In addition, the state stood out for narrowing the gap in both reading and math between white and minority students, although a wide disparity remains. Eighth-grade scores also rose but not by as big a margin.
Not everyone's impressed.
More here.
Caldwell/West Caldwell is banning food at birthday parties. Food, we all know, is really just code for cupcakes.
From the New York Times...
THE Caldwell/West Caldwell school district has become at least the third in the state to put its students on a strict diet during classroom birthday parties, according to the New Jersey State School Boards Association. And more are likely to follow, said Mike Yaple, an association spokesman.A large number of schools are continuing the birthday celebration tradition in which students bring cupcakes and candy to share with classmates, Mr. Yaple said, “but we have seen a fair number of schools who have told parents they want to get away from it.â€
Over in North Caldwell, cupcakes are safe -- for now. From Star Ledger...
In North Caldwell, Superintendent Linda Freda said the parent-teacher association has changed the types of frozen desserts being sold at schools to meet state guidelines and parents are asked to make healthier snacks for bake sales.However, she said there has been no change regarding birthday treats.
"They can still have a birthday party," Freda said. "We're a kindergarten through sixth-grade district. They're only kids once."
Maryann Rivera, the nurse at Caldwell's Jefferson School, said a first grade recently held a class party that didn't involve food. She shared a book with her class, got her desk decorated, received a card from her teacher and was serenaded by her class.
"It was a great, non-edible celebration," Rivera said. "It was a great day."
Yes -- a great day for the school nurse!
It's been 20 days and counting for the Bloomfield man. His son Daniel created the video. For more information, go to Climate Emergency.
They call it Continental Arena. You call it the Meadowlands. Now they want to name it after a clothing line. From NJ.com...
The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority received bids from Manhattan-based Izod and Rocawear as well as the Fort Lee sportswear firm Southpole by the 4 p.m. deadline today, according to three people who were briefed on the bids.State officials declined to say how much the firms offered to pay for the naming rights or how long the contract terms would be. The authority's board plans to review the bids and make a decision as soon as their Oct. 4 meeting.
A nomination for landmarking is a step in the right direction for preservationists, but there's still many people who disagree with the idea of moving the Freed Slave House. From the New York Times...
A historian and a City Council member have been among the African-Americans speaking out against the move. Stacey Patton, 29, an adjunct professor in the history department at Montclair State University, said moving the house would “compromise the integrity of the building.â€Ms. Patton said the society had presented its plan to move the house in an “underhanded†manner that was not attentive to the concerns of black residents. She said, for example, that black churches should have been notified of the plan but were not.
Councilman Ted Mattox says that many black professionals who have moved here in recent years do not have the same strong interest in local issues as those who grew up here do.
He also said that the historical society had showed “a lack of due diligence†in dealing with black residents on the house moving and that the matter raised the issue of whether “African-American history takes precedence†in such situations.
Last Thursday evening, members of the Montclair Preservation Committee evaluated the history of the James Howe House on Claremont Avenue, making sure the home satisfied criteria to obtain a protected landmark status. Also known as the "Freed Slave House," it easily met all the benchmarks for nomination and wheels are now in motion to seek landmark designation.
"The nomination will go through several levels of review, and ultimately town officials will decide upon the designation of the Howe House," says Montclair Historical Society Trustee, Mindy Berg. "I am optimistic that the town will do the right thing in terms of preservation of this artifact of African-American history. Historical designation does not mean the house can not be moved," Berg added.
Berg was referring to a contentious negotiation over the society's potential ownership and relocation of the building to their headquarters on Orange Road. “The MHS will educate the Montclair community about this piece and the whole history of African-Americans in Montclair, whether MHS owns the property or not," says Berg.
An attorney for the Van Dyk family, owners of the Howe House who are prepared to donate the house to the historical society, represented their opposition to landmarking the home because of concerns over land right issues, Berg says.
Frank Gerard Godlewski was at the meeting and tells Baristanet the public, religious and civic groups present overwhelmingly supported the landmarking of the house. "HPC Chairman Ted Lippencott stated he would look into State and National landmarking procedures once the local designation was achieved," says Godlewski.
Meanwhile, MHS is forming an advisory board to assist them in determining the best options for preserving Howe House and the historical record, Berg explained. "We have a high-end group of professionals including archaeologists, historians, educators, and researchers participating," she says.
On Wednesday, Oct. 17, MHS will host a public discussion of the Howe House, with guest speaker Vaughnette Goode-Walker, African-American historian and curator of The Owens-Thomas House in Savannah, Georgia. Meet at Montclair Public Library, South Fullerton Avenue, at 6:45 pm (free admission).
MHS also welcomes a dialogue with individuals and community groups about the future of the Howe House - for questions or comments, call Mindy Berg at 973-744-1796
From CNN...
Loyer D. Braden, arrested about 3 a.m. in his dorm room, was charged with attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment, as well as a gun charge, according to court documents.A justice of the peace set bail for the East Orange, New Jersey, teenager at $75,000 and ordered him to stay away from the victims and Delaware State. Braden is a freshman at Delaware State, according to a man at Braden's home in East Orange who identified himself only as a family member.
Some students have said the shootings stemmed from a rivalry between students from Washington and New Jersey, although university police have said the investigation has not led them to believe there was a "turf battle." Others have said a dispute followed a card game.
Braden graduated in June from Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, New Jersey, where he played basketball and football. "This would be the last thing I'd ever expect of Loyer," football coach Sean Morris said.
Yes, many of us moved from the city to Baristaville at least partly because of the third-floor attic that could become an office or art studio. Yet somehow, dreams of writing the Great American Novel or painting the next American Gothic keep getting deferred -- either because of distractions from the family or the Sisyphean chore of keeping house.
If you can't get to Yaddo, Montclair resident Eileen Kolbasuk has a solution (and a new business) designed to help. It's called ArtShare Montclair, and it offers studio space in three-hour sessions, for 10 weeks, $199. Up to eight artists will share the partitioned space, along with a small kitchen, lounge, Wifi and unlimited coffee.
"It becomes a psychological issue," explains Kolbasuk, who has two small children. "There are so many distractions when you're at home." The need to create outside the house, she adds, explains "all those people in Starbucks with their laptops."
ArtShare Montclair, located on Pine Street, is carved out of a large exposed-brick photo studio shared by two Montclair photographers John Emerson and Steve Hockstein. Kolbasuk actually found out about the space when the photographers placed a classified ad on Baristanet.
"I want to make it somebody's creative happy place," Kolbasuk says. The space is open to writers as well as visual artists.
Ten-week sessions begin October 10. Check the schedule here.
