How Business Friendly Is Montville?

The former Best Market, Uncasville

Best Market employees in Uncasville were instantly out of a job.   The Bethpage, Long Island based grocery store chain closed the store a week ago with no advance notice.   The company had opened the former Tri-Town Foods and Beit Brothers store just a few months ago with the intention of buying the entire plaza and renovating it.   Then negotiations with the current landlord broke down and Best wasted no time closing its doors.   In addition to the shock to store employees, the saddest part was that the new business had been well received by local shoppers who gave high marks to the market's value and service.  Best Market was catching on; it was growing in this community.   Town leaders seemed to be equally out of the loop over what happened.

I have worked with direct mail advertising clients in Montville and surrounding towns since 2002.   You don't stay in this line of work without success stories, but I can't help but wonder why a town with Montville's location and population has so many vacant storefronts.   One narrative I get all around town is the difficulty in dealing with longtime landlords.   This often explains why so many small businesses move up and down Route 32 or close completely.   Is old money shutting out new money?    After the disastrous Rand Whitney judgment against the town, I would have hoped that political leaders would have taken a more proactive stance in working with businesses.    While a handful of entrenched local business owners get by with their old ways (including almost no advertising), new entrepreneurs have to think twice before making a commitment to setting up shop here.   From a deserted and blighted convenience store on one highly visible end of town to a relatively new plaza with high turnover and vacancy to a former video store right across from Town Hall, it's becoming obvious that landlords and political leaders (some being both) are not protecting enough of Montville's business interests.    The Best Market fiasco should be examined, since it is clearly not an isolated situation.