Downtown – Denville, New Jersey

Isaac Kremer/ January 1, 2025/ AI Assisted, beer, downtown, Economic, Field Notes, Physical, placemaking, preservation, public art, storefront, streetscape/ 0 comments

Luna Locks – New Jersey Fairy Hair Headquarters, is located at 3 Broadway. High-quality, long-lasting fairy hair (silken, sparkling hair tinsel extensions) tied onto individual strands of hair. Private one-on-one appointments, birthday parties, corporate gatherings, and mobile festival events.

The Main Street Plaza commercial building is located at 5 East Main Street.

Exterior storefront of Cafe Crevier, a modern bistro located at 25 East Main Street, Denville, NJ 07834. Prior to a devastating fire, the restaurant was a highly-regarded community fixture serving brunch, thin-crust artisan pizzas, and contemporary Italian-American entrees. It gained massive regional popularity after receiving a stellar 8.5 score from Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy. On the left is East Coast Salon (Suite 27) and to the immediate right is Chocolatine, a popular French bakery that was also affected by the incident. Due to severe structural damage from a fire early in the morning of June 2, 2026, Cafe Crevier and Chocolatine are currently closed until further notice while investigation and rebuilding efforts are underway.

The rear entrance of butter+velvet HOME + DESIGN, is an interior design firm and home decor boutique located at 11 Broadway. The bright yellow back door features a graphic sunburst design and reads “Best Day Ever!” alongside the business’s branding. Co-owned by sisters Michaeline and Kelly, this boutique offers professional interior design services, space planning, room design, and curated home furniture selection.

This boarded-up, vacant commercial building is located at 17 East Main Street, Denville, NJ 07834, sitting directly on the main commercial corridor of downtown Denville. The building is completely vacant with its front windows heavily boarded up with plywood sheets. It features a prominent dark wooden/composite upper storefront header.

Commercial brick building located at 25 Bloomfield Avenue. De La Nada Table Company, an artisan wood workshop and showroom, occupies the storefront. They specialize in crafting sustainably sourced live-edge tables, bespoke carpentry, antique furniture, and vintage decor pieces. The building features prominent “FOR SALE” yard signs and window banners posted by commercial real estate brokerage Newmark Associates.

Downtown Denville Public Parking Lot, is a primary municipal parking area located just off Bloomfield Avenue. A large roadside digital billboard displays rotating ads alongside a welcome greeting header reading “Downtown Denville”. A marked crosswalk, state-law pedestrian stop sign, and a bright yellow pedestrian crossing sign run across the street. The parking lot serves as a major thoroughfare providing easy walking access to the shops and restaurants lining Broadway and East Main Street. 

Thatcher McGhee’s Irish Pub & Eatery is located at 53 Broadway. The building is designed to resemble a traditional Irish cottage, complete with an authentic, textured thatched roof overhanging the upper windows. This popular local spot is well-known for its cozy, authentic pub atmosphere and classic Irish fare like fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and corned beef.

The commercial property located at 40 Broadway. The modern, two-story structure features an expansive multi-pane glass curtain wall facade showcasing an internal staircase leading to upper-level units. The storefront incorporates a specialized exterior wheelchair platform lift on the far left side alongside a traditional concrete staircase entry in the center.

This commercial block is located along Broadway and Diamond Spring Road. The gated outdoor brick patio in the foreground is often utilized for seasonal community events, outdoor dining, and holiday decorations, including the large decorated Christmas tree visible on the right.

This photograph features the vibrant “Denville Strong” Community Mural located on the back facade of Denville Seafood along Bloomfield Avenue. Commissioned by the Denville Arts Council and painted by local muralist Margaret Grzymkowski (@marggrz), this botanical design features bright flora and fauna surrounding the words “Denville Strong”, intended to bring community pride and color to the downtown thoroughfare. To the immediate right of the blue mural wall sits a vacant, white brick commercial building with large glass garage bay windows, historically structured like a mid-century service station or auto garage.

This banner displays the official branding for Downtown Denville, the central shopping, dining, and community district. The sign is posted right in the main pedestrian plaza area off Broadway and Diamond Spring Road, positioned just in front of the local shopping strip. It highlights the district’s website (www.downtowndenville.com) alongside a QR code directing visitors to current local event listings, directories, and business maps.

The Downtown Denville Holiday Display is centered around the municipal Christmas tree in the pedestrian plaza at Broadway and Diamond Spring Road. A large, decorated evergreen tree serves as the town’s holiday centerpiece, featuring colorful ball ornaments, snowflakes, oversized candy details, and a star topper. The foreground shows park benches, string lighting, a wooden picket fence, and large wooden candy cane decorations enclosing the gravel plaza area.

A newly paved, interlocking brick pedestrian walkway and crosswalk ramp located along Broadway. The pathway splits into a classic red brick sidewalk on the left and a contrasting gray herringbone pattern pathway bordered by dark charcoal bricks in the center. The gray section curves smoothly directly into a brick-paved crosswalk entrance, designed to seamlessly transition pedestrians from the sidewalk to the street level.

The ornate, palace-style exterior of Hunan Taste Chinese Restaurant, located at 67 Bloomfield Ave. Widely recognized as a North Jersey landmark, the building is meticulously designed to resemble an ancient Chinese palace, featuring a multi-tiered green and gold glazed-tile roof, a decorative hand-carved relief mural, and grand imperial marble lion guard statues at the entrance. Consistently rated by various publications as the best Chinese restaurant in New Jersey, it has been a family-owned destination since 1986, celebrated for its grand interior aquarium features and upscale dim sum, Peking duck, and regional specialties

Denville Dog & Grill (co-branded with Stewart’s Root Beer), is located at 99 Bloomfield Avenue. Operating out of a retro drive-in structure that originally housed a classic Stewart’s location, this casual roadside stand serves as a combined hot dog joint, pizzeria, and ice cream parlor. The restaurant is a local favorite for its signature Sabrett snap-casing hot dogs, chili-cheese dogs, custom burgers, krinkle-cut french fries, and authentic Stewart’s root beer on tap.

This wide street-level view of the central dividing median located at the key intersection of Broadway and Bloomfield Avenue. A permanent wooden post sign nestled within the landscaped stone island reads “Welcome to Downtown Denville”, serving as a decorative gateway marker for motorists entering the central shopping strip. Mounted directly on a pole behind the island are public municipal parking guidance placards indicating routes to the Main Church Lot and Upper Bloomfield Lot.

The wide sidewalk and streetscape along Broadway in downtown Denville, looking northward from near the intersection with Diamond Spring Road. Features a modern, multi-textured design combining red interlocking brick pavers, gray brick borders, and a smooth concrete walking path closest to the street lamp posts. The white-brick commercial property on the right features classic architectural elements, including large grid-paned bay windows, prominent white structural columns, and elevated storefront entryways accessed by short brick-faced steps with black iron safety railings. The left side shows an expansive street-side asphalt parking area layout running parallel to a newly landscaped curb lined with young trees and classic dark metal lampposts decorated with seasonal holiday wreaths.

This two-story commercial building is located at 1 Broadway

A commercial block located at 76-82 Broadway.

Close-up angle of the wide, brick-paved sidewalk and exterior facade of The Urban Muse, located at 82 Broadway. A purple window sign lists some of the spa’s holistic treatments, including massages, facials, waxing, body treatments, infrared saunas, and holistic healing. The stone-veneer storefront is lined with decorative gray and wooden planters, small evergreen shrubs, and a built-in wooden bench integrated with planter boxes. An expansive, interlocking herringbone brick paver sidewalk runs along the storefront, leading further down Broadway toward the neighboring brick building.

Street-level photograph captures the intersection of Broadway and Second Avenue. A classic dark metal street pole prominently features crossing signs for Broadway and Second Avenue. Visible across the street is the iconic, thatched-roof facade of Thatcher McGhee’s Irish Pub & Eatery. The street is lined with classic lamp posts outfitted with festive Christmas wreaths and bright red ribbons, alongside a “Merry & Bright” traffic cone sign.

Commercial building located at 55 Broadway, situated directly between Thatcher McGhee’s on the right and 40 Broadway on the left. The ground-floor windows feature prominent “RETAIL SPACE AVAILABLE” signs (973-625-0948), indicating that the main level units are currently vacant and open for lease. Zimmerman Architects, a local professional architectural firm occupies office space on the upper second level of the building. The structure features a symmetrical dual concrete staircase entry leading to a central glass entryway.

Exterior storefront and outdoor seating area of Diamond Spring Brewing Co., located at 50 Pocono Road. A popular local craft brewery featuring a modern taproom, visible indoor stainless steel brewing tanks, and an expansive outdoor beer garden patio. Outfitted for seasonal comfort with Adirondack chairs, patio heaters, fire pits, and string lighting. A festive snowman decoration is visible on the roof edge.

A multi-tenant commercial block located at 45 Broadway. The main building features a distinctive light stucco multi-tier symmetrical facade capped with a central structural peak housing a large operational outdoor clock.

Denville Hardware is located at 20 First Avenue. An authorized Ricciardi Brothers location and a Do it Best hardware cooperative member store It serves as a comprehensive neighborhood hardware shop and an official Benjamin Moore Paint dealer, offering professional paint matching, design consultations, power tools, and home improvement supplies.

The Pasta Shop is an acclaimed Italian restaurant located at 13 First Avenue. A highly popular, cozy eatery that bridges the gap between a classic Italian-American joint and a modern wood-fired kitchen. The restaurant is locally famous for its fresh, hand-crafted artisan pastas, home-made ravioli, wood-fired pizzas, giant meatballs, and house-made cannoli. The brick facade displays window text promoting “Italian American Classics” and “Home Made Pasta & Ravioli”.

The marquee awning of Sweet Expressions By Geri, a famous confectionery shop located at 26 Broadway. The storefront is stylized to resemble a vintage, circa-1930s movie theater entrance. It features a prominent pink-and-purple striped awning outfitted with dozens of glowing theater-style marquee bulb lights underneath. A beloved community landmark operating for over 30 years, it is highly celebrated for its gourmet chocolates, hand-dipped truffles, custom candy platters, and seasonal sweet treats. Flanking the immediate right side is Sergio & Co. Italian Specialties, an authentic neighborhood delicatessen anchoring 28 Broadway.

Golden Building commercial complex, located at 19-23 Broadway.

 

A wide street-level photograph captures a major commercial stretch along Broadway in downtown Denville, New Jersey, looking north toward the town’s central clock tower.

Storefront of Gateway to the Arts, a performing arts school located at 18 Diamond Spring Road. This is a dedicated community performing arts studio offering comprehensive classes in singing, dancing, acting, and musical theater for children and teens. The large front display windows are hand-painted with whimsical art, including comedy/tragedy theater masks and dancing black cats wearing pink scarves. Visible directly to the left is a glimpse of Michael’s Barber & Style storefront.

A commercial retail strip located along Diamond Spring Road.

Mid-century Art Deco style commercial building is located at 10 Broadway. The building features a highly distinct Streamline Moderne / Art Deco design highlighted by vertical panels of geometric-patterned stone tiles flanking a central facade of textured black granite. A copper-toned metallic architectural marquee canopy projects over the central glass double-door main entrance, illuminated by matching industrial copper-finished gooseneck exterior sconce lights. Constructed in 1947, this single-story structure spans roughly 4,385 square feet and historically housed specialized clinical medical offices, featuring interior exam suites and spacious waiting reception rooms.

Sidewalk perspective along Broadway in downtown Denville, New Jersey, looking past a row of retail shops toward the intersection of Main Street.

Community identification sign with “The Hub of Morris County” and a founding date of 1913.

This paver crossing with asphalt to either side has held off. Often the asphalt deteriorates. A flat concrete border of several inches is quite common.

The trash cans show their age and are rusting. No lid on top allows rain to fall inside water logging them. This would be an obvious opportunity to fix if this has not been done so already.

The Denville Clock Tower is a central civic landmark located in the pedestrian plaza at the main intersection of Broadway and East Main Street. A tall, dark green four-sided open framework tower housing large illuminated clocks with classic Roman numerals, capped by a light-colored metal roof and a decorative weather vane. The tower is dressed for the holiday season with large evergreen wreaths adorned with red bows and colorful ornaments, oversized hanging Christmas light sculptures, and spiral-wrapped red ribbon garlands along the support beams. A street lamp post in the foreground flies a green banner displaying the town’s official seal and reading “WELCOME DENVILLE – Shop, Dine, Enjoy”.

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About Isaac Kremer

IsaacKremer.com is the personal website of Isaac Kremer, MSARP, a nationally recognized leader in the Main Street Approach to commercial district revitalization with over 25 years of experience. Kremer, New Jersey's first certified Main Street America Revitalization Professional (MSARP), has served as founding executive director for organizations like Experience Princeton and the Metuchen Downtown Alliance, which won a Great American Main Street Award under his leadership. He recently became director of the Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority in Michigan.

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