Red Bank Business Moving Down the Road to Little Silver

has been a fixture on in Red Bank for nearly a decade, most recently offering pet owners a doggy spa experience while enjoying the benefits of a prime location right in the heart of the downtown on Monmouth Street.

Turns out, however, that location might be kind of a problem. Dana Ujobagy is closing up the Red Bank location after nine years and moving the operation to Little Silver. There she'll have more space and be able to expand the store's retail offerings as well as the number of services it provides.

But the primary reason for the move is parking. You see, she said late Monday afternoon during a brief telephone interview, Little Silver's got it, Red Bank doesn't.

"It was a hard decision. We love Red Bank," she said. "When (customers) have to battle through Red Bank, especially on a Friday and Saturday, it's a problem. They still drive around for 20 minutes trying to find a parking lot and that says a lot about our customer's (loyalty), but my customers want parking, they don't want to have to walk far away or through the rain especially after they've just gotten their dog groomed."

This is far from the first time parking in Red Bank has impacted the business community. George Lyristis, owner of the Bistro at Red Bank, has come down hard on the borough for its heavy-handed approach to dolling out parking tickets. He hasn't been alone in that complaint. The issue of close, available parking also pops up regularly at public meetings. And though some, like Danny's Steakhouse owner Danny Murphy, have called Red Bank's parking problem a "," the notion was legitimate enough to prompt Red Bank RiverCenter to develop a downtown . 

That service hasn't made an appearance in months, however. 

The new location on Silverside Avenue in Little Silver comes with more parking and more space for things like holistic nutrition for pets, an area where Ujobagy would like to expand. For customers, she said, it's just easier.

"It's only about two miles down the road," she said. "We think the location is going to be much more convenient."

Ujobagy said she's still seeking approvals from Little Silver but that she expects the move to happen in August.