Dick Shares How The Cookie Crumbles

Is that Dick in the picture? If so, I rest my case!

I won't frequent Dick's stores--message to the tenants: find a new home!

It is called: the power of the pocketbook, baby! Stick that in your cement structure!

Did he used to sing for Quiet Riot?

Quiet Riot....didn't they sing "Bang Your Head?"

There will be plenty of cookies in UPPER Montclair these next 2 weekends-Support our girls!

It's a liability issue.
I don't see what the problem is...
As with other things, parents in Montclair don't have time to take their kids door to door so this is just an easy alternative.
Too bad about the incomplete reporting though....but what else is new?
I know!
Maybe one of the Girls Scouts will Blog about this issue and you guys can post it on here.
lol

Dick...here is a something to think about...there better NEVER be any ice patches in front of your building, or I'll have to test your liability threshold.

And yes, I will shop for my Girl Scout cookies in UPPER Montclair.

I love "blanket" policies. They take that pesky reasoning process out of all decision-making! This way, if it is Girl Scouts or Nazis you have your answer --- "it's my blanket policy!" Good show.
Unless the original article is in error, and my own powers of observation are faulty, the Scouts were not "in" his buildings, but rather on the sidewalk outside his building. So what, exactly, is he talking about?

We don't care, Dick. You're a miserly, ugly, nasty, greedy old creep, and you turn my stomach.

Do I sense a potential stoning on Church Street based on these remarks?

Should we wait until Spring? I'll have cases of merlot delivered along with some heavy gobblets!

Please bring your own boulders--thank you!

Maybe Dick can approach the Girl Scouts about a retail store to sell their cookies year-round ...

Perhaps Mr. Grabowsky could get his cookie-selling tenant to allow the girls to stock their cookies in his store. He could probably sell them at cost or at a slight loss for tax purposes, and it would bring in an entirely new group of customers who might also just purchase some of the specialty cookies on display, too. Perhaps come good publicity for someone who regularly gets roasted here, and no additional liability insurance needed.

I can't blame Mr. Grabowsky for his policy. You better believe if one precious child should trip on a half eaten ThinMint, their parents would be suing for injury. We are so quick to judge people on this site. It's ridiculous.

And regarding the Quiet Riot comments, he looks much more like Robert Plant.

" and I explained to them that I do not allow any solicitors on my properties"

"While I certainly do support local commerce, I have made it a blanket policy to not allow solicitors of any kind in my buildings to avoid the kinds of problems inherent in granting permission to any of these groups."

Can't really fault you for the above, Dick. My question is, when did you begin to think the lobby stretched all the way to the curb?
As a property owner, the town has an ordinance making up keep and repair of a sidewalk your responsibility, even specifies fines and possible jail time (though I doubt any was ever served). It also maintains those sidewalks as a public right-of way. You were within your rights to call the police and have them demand a permit, but not make them move yourself. Unfortunately your hubris is quite common these days.

The Duck has it right. When it comes to the sidewalk, Dick's policy is meaningless and Township policy applies. The township monitors the right of non-profit organizations to conduct business on public sidewalks. Even in the absence of a town permit, the most Dick can do is call the cops (who probably wouldn't even know about the permit policy.)

I heard my brother's been getting called Robert more often... I thought it was just because that's my dad's name...Robert, is that you?

So if Steven is young Robert Plant, then Dick is the creepy older version of Robert Plant. Yipes! That man did not age so well.

I think Dick's hair is CRAZY, when did it start, Dick? How long have you had that same hair do? I know how it is, to get stuck in one place, I haven't cut my own hair in 5 years! Have you ever considered a shorter do? A less blond do? I know, it's the curls, you get long curls and you start thinking "This is sooo fabulous" and then all of a sudden you've got a blond fro and you're in your 50's.

DONT START BOYCOTTING! Its unfair for the renters and the general commerce of montclair to start a campaign against church st; because your kid cant just set up shop and sell cookies on the street? Really? Were the children scarred? Did they not meet their quota? Cookies sell themselves. Parents should bring the order form to work and people will buy them. Asking for permission, getting denied, and doing it anyway is more of an offense than the tagalongs that went unsold after Dick asked you to move.

I remember when I was a girl scout. I sold the most cookies two years in a row (still have the special badge; not saying how I did it). There were no tables back then. I also used to walk a mile to school and back in the snow.

"...still have the special badge."

I have visions of a tattoo.

I agree with jimmytown as far as not boycotting innocent businesses, even the cookie guy says sell your cookies. Dick really just needed to have an earful (bailiff, smack his peepee), not an over the top reaction. That would only be as bad as what he did.

and is Conan's remark a veiled attempt to lure Wally out from under the porch? (or his he alone under there)

"Bailiff, smack his peepee" My mom says that all the time, I thought she made it up. Crap.

There will be no smacking of pee-pees on my sidewalk.

Wasn't Dick the driving force behind an idea a year or two back...whereby the town was supposed to use eminent domain to take over properties that he coveted for his own development schemes? Does anybody else remember that idea? It came and went quickly, but if my memory is correct, it paints a truer picture of Mr. Grabowsky than this cookie business.

When IS that hifallutin' lighting store opening up?

Wrong developer Green Ranger. Guess again.

Apologies to Dick G. and company regarding the eminent domain reference; as I mentioned, my memory was not entirely clear.

ZSMITH, can you please correct me as to the identity of the person(s) behind that plan?

That's the kind of thing that bothers me far more than the girl scouts brouhaha. More people in the township should be aware of eminent domain, and who has that power. For instance, I believe the Parking Authority has that power. And that scares me a great deal.

DAMN!!!

I saw the photo before the headline & I though Plant was coming out with a new album!

Double DAMN...

Sorry folks..didn't read the comments before I posted. Plant joke was used!

I think Mr. Grabowsky (or do I mean Noddy Holder of Slade?) made a pretty good case for himself above. Of course, "the usual gang of idiots" disagrees hotly, although to no real effect. Also, Annette Batson might well have mentioned her phone conversation, no? If only by way of the "full disclosure" she herself mentioned in the original item.

Liz, only one or two miles? (Walleroo does more than that in his hourly circuits beneath your porch.) Even I did at least five, and in the teeth of bona fide blizzards and hurricanes alike. Whereas our parents mutually did, I'm sure, 10 or more. And often barefoot.

was the picture actually needed...cuz damn

Annette was not the mom who called. It was a "troop Mom".

Okay there, Liz, my bad. But Grabowsky's response specifically cites a conversation he had with your intrepid reporter. AND also a phone conversation he had with a troop mom.

Those, even given my own modest error of assumption (because I simply didn't read his reply closely enough), nonetheless constitute key errors of omission. No matter that this is likely not Ms. Batson's prime, mortgage-paying gig, I still expect better from a citizen journalist.

And what is always scary here is the predictable formation of a virtual lynch mob on almost any issue here. Someday you really may have to bear some responsibility for that tendency here, Liz, if things get out of hand a bit. You barely skated by just on the Cadie matter, after all.

I'm giving Dick his chance to speak. I didn't touch a word of his response. Suffice it to say, there are a lot of different versions of the events and a lot of people were there. The one constant is that Dick does not want any vendors on his property without a permit. So if the Girl Scouts can obtain a permit, it sounds like Dick would have to grin and bear it.

I agree with you though cathar, about the mob mentality of some commenters (although you often join that mob, no?) For instance, why all the personal attacks on a person's looks, etc., and not about the issue itself. I guess folks have one set of rules for how to treat people online and another offline.

Interesting you'd note the possibility of things "getting out of hand," Cathar. Far as I know, you are the only one who's ever threatened anyone here with physical violence. More than once, at that.

BTW, credit where credit is due -- good call on Noddy Holder.

What I'd like to see is a post from one of the girl scouts that says something like this:

"Dear Mr. Grabowski, I would like to apologize on behalf of the Girl Scouts for all the sh*t you've had to take because of our cookie drive. This was not our intention at all. Our intention was to engage in harmless fund raising for a cause that we believe in and which we hope in some small way does society some good. We recognize, of course, that the nobility of our enterprise in no way entitles us to have free run over the entire town to promote our organization and raise money for our projects. We are Girl Scouts, for chrissake, we are resourceful enough to make our own way in the world honestly and forthrightly. We would never dream of saying half the things posters on this Web site have said against you. We would never dream of using public humiliation and taunting as a means to get our way. We hope you understand that we Girl Scouts want nothing whatsoever to do with that pack of wolves who post here, even if some of them are our parents. Yours sincerely, etc."

Cathar,

I would support the Grabber if this happened on one of his properties, but it happened on the side walk.

So, as Liz pointed out, if the girls spent their $10 and got the required permit there's nothing he can do about it.

As it stands, I think he was out of place in forcing the girls to leave. If he felt they were doing something illegal (which technically they were), his right to confront them ends at alerting the authorities.

Maybe Dick was simply using his "Short Hills" clause. Perhaps he found Girl Scout cookies to be inferior to the cookies available at the mall - see below

New York Times 10/23/04

Mr. Grabowsky, who runs an architectural metalwork company in Montclair, also bought two smaller buildings on Bloomfield Avenue. He has said he plans to acquire as many more as he can. A ''Short Hills'' clause will be written into leases he signs with new tenants, requiring them to maintain a shop appearance and wares at least equal in quality to that available at the Mall at Short Hills, which is regarded as state's most upscale shopping center.

And having tenants who maintain a high standard is bad because ....... ?

As for ugly, I'm ugly too. Why is that relevant here?

Miss Martta, who runs any chance she can get, has said she plans to acquire as many properties as she can. She also said she plans to play point guard for the NY Knicks. A "Walmart clause" will be written into any leases she signs with tenants, requiring them to maintain a shop appearance and wares at least equal in quality to those available at the many Walmarts found throughout West Virginia, which are regarded as that state's most upscale shopping centers.

ZSMITH,

"Upscale" is the NY Times way of saying snobbish.

In the traditional sense of the word, Bangz is an upscale salon. But, it's not nearly as "Upscale" as a national retailer, so out it goes for the yet to be decided retailer (last rumors had it pegged as a B&N despite the local book store less than a block away).

Generic, I thought Bangz chose to move down the block (to their new upscale church). I agree, the word "upscale" may be overused and ridiculous, or meaningless. Grabowsky may not express himself with the style and panache of the brilliant literary posse assembled on these pages, but he does seem to put time and energy into his buildings, which is what counts. Let him uphold tenants to a high standard. I say good job.
If he should attract some national retailers, EVEN BETTER. This town could use a little upgrade. There are plenty of great looking, high quality clothing, houseware and gift stores with national exposure who would do just fine here, and not at all detract from the independents. Just think, perhaps they'd help drive traffic to the indies.

1) Bangz chose to move because the Grabber jacked their rent up to an unsustainable level.

I fail to see how forcing out long-time tenants in favor of national chains who can afford the higher rents, but return nothing else to the community is a good thing for the town.

2) I also fail to see how courting something like a B&N (rumored for the Hink Building) or Starbucks (the Sienna) will "help drive traffic to the indies" such as the book store across from the Hink Building or Beans on Church Street...

There's an Urban Outfitters on Park Street. How many of those out-of-town shoppers also go to Culture Couture on Church? I've got a feeling that the people in U.O. aren't telling their customers that they should check out the cute/hip indy store around the corner.

(and yes, I've heard Culture Couture employees telling the boyfriends / husbands of their clientele to check out other stores in the area that would fill their shopping needs)

And she's buying the stairway to heavvveen.

Thank you Good night

"I think Mr. Grabowsky (or do I mean Noddy Holder of Slade?) made a pretty good case for himself above."
Posted by cathar | March 6, 2008 2:47 PM

I would say that if he couldn't put a PR spin on a bad situation, he wouldn't be as successful as he is. But let's not forget a couple of his other quotes from the previous thread:

"the scouts were not allowed to sell cookies on the sidewalk in front of his building because their cookie sale would violate a non-compete clause in the lease of his tenant, gourmet cookie store Gimme Jimmy's"

"I am the town, just as you are, and I feel it's my obligation to look after my tenants," says Grabowsky, when asked why he took it upon himself to enforce the ordinance. "It's [the sidewalk] not public property"

Both staements are pretty far off the mark so lets not pat him on the back to quickly, even if he does like thin mints on ice cream.

wallerloo: What I'd like to see is a post from one of the girl scouts that says something like this:

OMG---I felt the tongue! I think you are a closeted Girl Scout!

For the record, I offered the space in front of Gallery 51, simply as a gesture of good will. I bought some cookies and asked if they would still be there in an hour because i wanted to buy some more. They informed me that they were being asked to leave and I said, “if you’d like to use the space in front of the Gallery, you are more than welcome.” We had no prior arrangement. It was as simple as that.

It's such a fine line between stupid and clever.
--David St. Hubbins

The Noddy Holder reference is apt in another way - it brings to mind one of my fave Slade tunes, "My Town," which I'm sure is one of Dick's faves too, particularly the chorus:

This ain't your town
This is my town
This ain't your town
This is my town
Get on your way, get on your way
Get on your way, and now

Tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt.

That said, cracks about his looks/hair, etc. are completely off-target and fit within the behavior exhibited by Dick. Short-sighted, stubborn, stupid.

Wow, I have read some petty and vicious posts on this site before, but the volume of posts attacking the way someone looks has set a new low. If anyone had actaully made any valid points, they got lost in the overwhelming unkindness of many of the responses. We are a better community than that, aren't we?

The comments made about Dick's appearance are spurious, disingenuous, unfounded, off the mark, regrettable, inflamatory, divisive, immature, inciteful and spurious.

He is, by all practical standards, a pretty decent looking guy.

And, more importantly, he looks like someone who might enjoy some "Wap Waps"!

And, more importantly, he looks like someone who might enjoy some "Wap Waps"!

That's what makes his "look" fair game - his treatment of the Girl Scouts shows that he's a Dick in an aging hippie's clothing.

If there's one thing that we learned from the 1960s, it's that you can't judge a book by looking at its cover.

If there's a second thing, it's First I Look At The Purse.

Anyone care to take a guess at how old Dick is -- it's been confirmed on the street here that Dicky is 65 years old -- hard to believe, but it's true!

Did you add that asterisk, Liz? Did I offend your delicate sensibilities? Was that too harsh on your virgin ears?

Wow -- I did not. Shit! I'll have to find out who did.

wally, perhaps it was plagiarism of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s picture of an asshole. :)

I heard he was 70.

Gabowsky is a lamdlord & I have a question about housing...yes, I know I am pushing the limits of sticking to the topic at hand on a thread, but indulge me if you will. :^) The Siena was required to have 10% of it units designated for affordable housing to low income buyers, correct? Does anyone know what the cost was of those "affordable " units..was there a lottery or something to get one?? Thanks

Imagine if it were a woman - would anyone DARE say a word about how she looked. I think anyone who wants to comment on Dick's (or anyone's) looks should be required to send along a current photo. Let's see how cute you are.

Agreed, let's stick to the topic, his looks are irrelevant to the subject.

But I have a question of my own: How come everyone jumped all over this guy like jackels on a rabbit but when I snarked on Plofker, it was like I insulted a sacred cow?

I'm still waiting for an apology, even if he looked like Fabio.
As far as a woman's looks being commented on, maybe you should check out the rest of the posts, 17 (if that's your real #), instead of being obsessed with Dick. I think you'll find that to be another false statement.

That is the posts on the other threads on this site.

Ooh, I recall many frothing comments were made about the appearance of a certain singer from our area. She apparently was a fervent believer in excessive cosmetics as is a person's wont.

Its not a man's hairstyle a lady looks at...it's the width of his wallet! LOL!
That's a lot of cookies girls.

Duck, perhaps you're right - and we're all equal opportunity bashers - I still think it's inappropriate. This secrecy really brings out the worst in people.

So... I'm right that:
(A) The bashers here will go after anyone So we really should just discount them.
(B) Dick not only did a stupid thing, he made inappropriate comments about it.
(C) Dick put out a PR defense without telling the whole story while accusing others of the same.
(D) Dick hasn't offered an apology and should.
(E) 17 has more of an interest in this then she is letting on.
(F) Or, of course, all of the above
?

noelle, I appreciate your thought on affordable housing and low income residency, but I think it is a little far fetched to put a low income family in an exclusive building. Who will pay for their parking?

I find the cookie sellers to be precious pains in the ass. I don't care if they get to sell their artificial ingredient loaded cookies on the sidewalk or not.

Thin mints are okay; I bought a few boxes of cookies last year and gave them away to my friend who supposedly gave them to her grandchild.

I haven't seen the cookie selling tykes, yet. Did I miss them? Guess there are other things to do besides walk on the sidewalks of Grabowsky.

Y.A. -
Just A.

Well seventeen, your keen insights will be a welcome addition to the usual postings. I look forward to your comments on other topics.

Oh Liz! you know it drives me wild when you speak French.

As for the asterisk, I suspect Tom. I always had him pegged as a prude. Where, incidentally, is he these days? He NEVER EVER posts anymore.

Meanwhile, I would like to express my outrage at this censorship.