One of the reasons I chose Red Bank as a place to live is because the town has a Soho vibe to me. Nice shops line the streets, people are young and “hip” – and the bars are always packed with happy people…

…but last week, on my way to an Economic Summit with Julie – the place was a ghost town.

I know the economy being in the wonderful shape it is has hit everyone in the wallet, but I could not believe how dead the town was. Each and every store Julie and I passed was empty – except for the store’s employee looking out the window praying for a few customers. One bar I go to called Ashes, which usually is filled with guys in suits having a cold one while fiddling with their blackberries – was completely empty except for Julie and I. Ever since I have been going there, I have never seen even one instance where that place was not jumping – but I guess no one can afford to have an upscale dinner during these hard times.

Truth be told, I have scaled back as well during this economic crisis. Instead of taking Julie to Ashes twice a month for dinner – we now enjoy a box of pasta and a jar of sauce that was on sale for 99 cents each. Also, rather then spend $6 on one beer at a bar – I now buy a 12-pack for $5.99 and enjoy cold ones from home. Julie and I still go out, but it is far less frequent then it used to be.

As we made our way to the Summit, I just kept saying, “Look at that!” to Julie each time we passed another empty store. From bedding to bars to frame shops and restaurants – stores looked like they were closed. One woman we spoke to, who owned a store called New York Trends that was about to go out of business, told me that she lost $100,000 in her failed business venture, and that many stores in the borough are thinking of shutting down.

I was told that many years ago, Red Bank was nicknamed, “Dead Bank” – because the streets were lined with vacant stores. If this economy keeps going downhill – I fear that the old nickname may resurface once again.