'MIGHTY' MAPLEWOOD VILLAGE NAMED BEST DOWNTOWN IN THE STATE

New Jersey Monthly has just announced that Maplewood Village has won its Downtown Showdown, dubbing us "Mighty Maplewood."

Maplewood Village battled through several rounds in the statewide online contest, taking on Morristown in the last round that ended Monday.

Mayor Vic De Luca and other Township officials and groups created a big promotional effort urging people to vote, and it worked. The mayor told the magazine that leaflets urging residents to vote were handed out weekly at the train station along with the posters and fliers sent around town.

As the magazine wrote today:

It's not New Jersey’s biggest downtown, nor it’s best-known. But Maplewood, with its boutiques, art galleries and notable restaurants, has prevailed against all odds in New Jersey Monthly’s Downtown Showdown.
 
The showdown pitted 16 downtowns chosen by the editors of New Jersey Monthly against each other in online voting. Each week for four weeks the field was cut in half.

To emerge on top, Maplewood knocked off Summit in Week 1, Princeton in Week 2, Montclair in Week 3 and, ultimately, Morristown in last week’s Championship round.
  
“All of the towns have vibrant downtowns and we are very happy to have been chosen as the favorite,” says Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca. “Just participating in the contest has brought new people to our downtown and we hope many more will now patronize our shops and food establishments.”

See the rest HERE and let the celebration begin!