Marcus Rosner, who was born and raised locally, recalls the
Westwood of the late 1940’s, when parking meters on
Westwood Boulevard took
pennies instead of quarters and his mother would take him to
Will Wright’s ice cream parlor on weekends.
Decades later, Rosner’s life is still invested in the
Village ““Â he and his wife Jill own three stores on
Glendon Avenue.
Rosner has owned and operated Morgan & Company Jewellers
since 1975, when he took over the business from its previous owner
who had opened the store in 1965. In 2001, he opened Westburton
Antiques, and Jill opened Flowers of Meadowstream in two adjacent
properties on Glendon Avenue.
When a city planning committee recently approved a
developer’s proposal to shut down part of Glendon Avenue for
up to a year during construction, a coalition of merchants, most of
whom had stores nearby, spoke out against the closure of
Westwood’s third busiest street.
Casden Properties’ proposal is to develop a $100 million
residential and retail facility that would occupy lots on both
sides of the street. Representatives from at least 14 Westwood
businesses met with City Councilman Jack Weiss last month to
discuss preventing the closure before the city grants the project
final approval.
Though many feel the prolonged closure of Glendon Avenue will be
harmful for business and may even jeopardize their stores’
existences, Rosner perhaps has more at stake than the rest.
As owner of three adjacent stores on Glendon Avenue, his and
Jill’s entire livelihood revolves around the area, and the
closure is a threat to the business he has been doing on Glendon
for over 30 years.
Rosner has seen many stores come and go since his childhood, and
he attributes his own success to both his professional dedication
and his openness to change. He recalls keeping his store open until
9 p.m. on Mondays in the 1970s, when he says Westwood was a popular
evening destination.
“It is not an evening neighborhood anymore. …
We’re not open in the evening anymore; there’s just no
traffic,” he said.
He also said his customers expect the highest quality and often
come to him for work that few others can do. Rosner manufactures or
designs about 75 percent of the jewelry he carries and said prices
for his items range from a few hundred dollars to a few hundred
thousand.
“Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve upgraded and
tried to do only the best I possibly could,” he said.
Rosner’s compound, as he sometimes refers to his stores
and the garden that connects two of them, is located in one of
Westwood’s original structures, built in 1929. He says he
likes the natural quality of the rough-hewn brick interior of his
jewelry store and the sense of history it exudes.
It is his appreciation of the past that compelled him to open
his antique store three years ago.
An avid collector himself, Rosner travels to England and France
to purchase everything that is sold in the store. Some of the
antiques for sale include a century-old butcher’s cutting
block and intricately decorated chinaware. Like his jewelry store,
Westburton Antiques specializes in the highest quality, which
generally means high prices. A plate made in 1805 goes for
$185.
“Our approach is to bring sophisticated country living to
people of the city,” he said, referring to his and
Jill’s niche in business.
Though he strongly opposes developer Alan Casden, Rosner
believes his businesses are strong enough to survive the inevitable
drop in customer flow that will result from the street closure.
“I may not be in as bad a location as some, but I feel for
everybody here,” he said, speaking of the negative impact the
closure could have on some of his fellow merchants.
In contrast to the friendly rapport shared by many of the small
business owners in the vicinity, Rosner said Casden Properties has
alienated the rest of the business community by showing its
disregard for the welfare of other merchants.
“For (Casden Properties) it’s all about money; for
us it’s about a way of life,” he said.
Though he maintains his opposition to Casden Properties’
attitude toward the rest of the community, Rosner believes the
completed project could benefit local businesses.
“They should be able to develop their property. They
shouldn’t be able to develop it at the cost of other
people,” he said.
At least for now, the project has had given second thoughts to
one potential merchant ““ the Rosners’ daughter.
She had considered opening a coffee or tea bar in the lawn that
connects two of the Rosners’ businesses but decided against
it for now, partly because of the street closure that would come
with the Casden development, Jill said.
Casden’s proposed project, called Palazzo Westwood, would
contain 350 luxury apartments, which will greatly benefit
businesses in the area and will overshadow the temporary negative
effects of a street closure, Casden Properties Vice President of
Community Development Howard Katz said.
While Rosner and other merchants have criticized the apparent
selfishness of the developer’s plan to close down a public
street, Katz said closing Glendon Avenue during construction is
actually in the best interest of the community.
Casden Properties has altered construction plans to reduce the
closure time to a six-month period instead of a year or longer.
Katz said that shutting the street down for six months during
construction of a subterranean parking facility will minimize the
inconvenience and danger intermittent closures could cause.
Though he said he understands the frustrations of merchants such
as Rosner, Katz added that he is disappointed by the negative
reactions of some merchants. He specifically cited some
merchants’ appeal for Casden Properties to provide
compensation for the inconvenience of construction as a source of
irritation.
“Are they going to pay me when they benefit from our
project?” he asked.
Though he is unsure of what the precise effect of the project
will be on his livelihood, Rosner is confident that his businesses
will survive.
As owner of some of the longest tenured businesses in Westwood,
Rosner has endured the changing business landscape of the Village
and believes he will continue to do so.
“I’ve adjusted by dealing with the reality of
change, accepting the change and not fighting it,” he said,
referring to his legacy of success in a difficult environment.