Oakland Business Community Looks to Mayor for Support

Locally owned businesses populate the main streets of Oakland, but according to one business owner, the borough has not done enough to support its local establishments. 

“They need to be more supportive, certainly more than they have been in the past,” Peter Kikot, owner of New Jersey Landscape Consulting Services and president of the Oakland/Franklin Lakes Rotary Club, said of the borough’s council. 

Mayor Linda Schwager agreed and said one of her goals is to revive the Oakland Chamber of Commerce. 

The Chamber of Commerce was open and thriving several years ago, according to Schwager, but it has since fallen to the wayside and no longer exists.

“Businesses have called me, saying 'We really want to get this moving, we want a Chamber of Commerce,’” Schwager said.

While she hasn’t been able to get the chamber running yet, Schwager says she is working to make sure the local business community is supported.

“She cares a lot about the people around her,” Michael Mekhail, a co-owner of Café L’Amore, said. “If I have any problem, I call her and she’s right here.”

Mekhail, who opened his restaurant in Oakland about 20 years ago, said he has seen a major difference in the way Schwager interacts with local business owners, compared to mayors before her.

“She’s trying to help the little people stay in business,” Mekhail said. 

His restaurant has suffered from the economic downturns, he said, but only with minor losses, and though customers may spend less than they used to, Mekhail says they still come out to eat at Café L’Amore. 

It’s that type of community support that helps keep Oakland’s small businesses thriving, Kikot said, whether that means going to Oakland Hardware instead of Home Depot or eating at Portobello instead of McDonald's. 

“We do business with each other because we trust each other,” he said.

Harry Mihas, the owner of Oakland Diner, said he doesn’t know if the borough is trying to help its local businesses but said he would appreciate efforts to help strengthen the small business community.

Like Kikot, Mihas says he tries to spend his money locally as often as he can.

“I keep my money in town,” he said. “That’s the best thing I can do to help my town and fellow business owners.”

He added that he thinks Schwager is making an effort to help support small businesses and a new Chamber of Commerce would be a good start.

Jim Maggio, who has owned Oakland Hardware for 27 years, agreed that the business community needs a Chamber of Commerce.

“In the past, the chamber has always acted as a voice to the business community,” he said.

Schwager, who also runs her own law practice, says she wants to make a major push for a new chamber and come early January, she plans to call a meeting of all the local business owners.

“I own my own business, so I’m very proud to help local businesses,” she said. “I know the importance of working with other business owners, and we all need each other.”

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