 | Coquelle’s was once a regionally famous bakery. A new owner took over about 8 years ago and was shut down by the Health Department a few years after that. The property deteriorated and was foreclosed by the bank. HANDS purchased it from the bank. |
| HANDS has recruited Daily Soup as its tenants for the Bakery. Daily Soup hopes to open up a full-service café/restaurant. Daily Soup is a well known brand and its owners are successful business people from South Orange. |
| In the rear where cakes and pastries were once baked, six artists will have working studios. |
| The site is surrounded by vacant failed businesses. Next door the Exxon station has been closed for about a year and across the street the old Sunoco station has been closed for at least seven years and is now abandoned. Both gas stations are the location where well over a 100 day laborers congregate each morning. |
| Redevelopment in the Central Valley Redevelopment area has stalled and in fact the developer of the site with the abandoned Sunoco station has dropped out and there is no redeveloper for that site at this time. |
| Redevelopment of the Coquelle’s bakery site will bring life back to Valley with café patrons and six working artists. |
| The bakery is a historic site. As far back as 1870 it was the home of a famous stained glass artist, a contemporary of Tiffany. |
| Redevelopment of the Bakery site will increase tax ratables, create a gathering place for the people of Orange, add a new business to Orange and the Valley, and attract people from suburban towns to spend money in Orange. |
