The Wellmont Theater in Montclair, N.J., which is slated to be sold, was rocking Friday night during a concert by the band Aer. Steve Remich for The Wall Street Journal
In 2007, a real estate company that focused primarily on office buildings in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood made a move into the entertainment business by buying a historic New Jersey movie house with plans to convert it into a concert hall.
Now, the Rosen Group is bringing that strategy to a close by selling the 93-year-old Wellmont Theater, where Charlie Chaplin once performed. Rosen has hired NGKF Capital Markets to market the Montclair property with an asking price of $6.7 million.
Rosen made good on its plans to create a club with live rock concerts in Montclair, an increasingly affluent bedroom community that also prides itself on its emerging arts scene. Performers at the venue, which has a capacity of 2,500, have included B.B. King, Wilco, Elvis Costello and at least two groups made up of former members of seminal psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead.
"It's in tune with the demographic of the town a bit. It's a suburban town. We're trying to bring those acts that people saw at the Fillmore in the '70s or at Roseland in the '80s or '90s, and bring them to a place that's more convenient to the Jersey guys and gals who live there," said Tom Goodkind, Rosen's chief financial officer and a former denizen of the downtown Manhattan rock scene.
What's not clear, though, is how much of a profit Rosen will make from a sale. The private, family-run company paid about $2.5 million for the property.
CInnamon hotels
Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts are preparing to host the 23 pageant finalists of the Miss. Universe China pageant on a tour of Sri Lanka, flown courtesy of SriLankan airlines. The tour will be a part of the pageant’s official agenda, following regional selections that will culminate in the Grand Finale of the Miss Universe China crowning pageant, scheduled to be held on the 13th of September in Shanghai. The contingent will be visiting Sri Lanka from the 26th of August to the 1st of September 2014.
The sheer scale and the significant growth of Chinese tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka within the last two years has made China the second largest source market for the country. From 55,000 arrivals recorded last year, the number has already exceeded 100,000 to date this year, and is expected to grow further by end 2014. In addition to the increase in tourist traffic, it has also been noted that the Chinese are now trending towards selecting popular and fashionable destinations for their holidays, and rely on celebrity experiences and endorsements when doing so. It is this insight that made Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and SriLankan airlines conceptualize a signature event of this nature in order to enhance presence for both the country and brands in this market effectively.
Accompanying the contingent will be Yue-Sai Khan, the Chinese American Emmy-winning television host and producer, successful entrepreneur, fashion icon, bestselling author and humanitarian who has a mammoth following in China. The Miss. Universe China is organized by Yue-Sai Khan Productions, and is one of the most glamorous events in China gathering business leaders, celebrities, international VIPs and media.
Club girls and boys
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (WUSA 9) -- The Boys and Girls Clubs of America serve about four million kids around the country, providing them an opportunity for a better future.
In nearby Harford County, a Ravens stronghold, they serve about four thousand 6 to 18-year-olds.
Zayrron Blake or "Z" as he's called is the Boys and Girls Clubs of Harford County's 2014 Youth of the Year. The 17-year-old with a 3.875 GPA is captain of his football team and a constant volunteer at the place that helped shape him.
"I'm a single kid," said Zayrron. "I didn't have my mother and father when I was growing up, no support from them, but when I came to the club, they gave me all the missing pieces."
The Raven's are Z's favorite team and on Thursday he got up close and personal with some of the players he loves, like Torrey Smith.
"It was a great experience, I never had a conversation with a pro football player before," said Zayrron.
Branch Director for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Harford County, Otelia Brannigan, said visiting Ravens Training Camp is a value experience for many of the children in the program.
"This is giving a lot of children at the Boys and Girls Club the opportunity to say: 'I can do this.' They're not a statistic any longer. They're not just a number," said Brannigan.
Zayrron, an upcoming senior at Havre de Grace, says he wants to give back to his community and plans on studying psychology in college to do just that.
