Short Hills Couple Launch 'Best Town Deals' Web Site

Former Maplewood residents Carmella and Michael Keyles moved to Short Hills recently with their two kids, Daniel and Kelly.  Although the two towns are geographically close, it was time for them all to find new everyday favorites for restaurants, hair salons, cleaners and the like.

“One evening, not long after we moved, our kids were away at summer camp," Carmella said. "We were looking for a nearby place for dinner and drinks. We wanted to go somewhere we’d never been to before and not spend a fortune.

"We parked and wandered around downtown and were happy to learn from a sign outside Martinis on Main Street that the restaurant has a mid-week cocktails special. Now we know about their happy hour.”

Another time, while in Summit, she parked in front of a boutique that had a sign in the window, “75 percent off.”  It was evening, the store happened to be closed, so Carmella called the next day.  Yes, the sale was going on, but, no, the store didn’t advertise or have a Web site.

“How would I have ever found out about that great sale if I hadn’t had the dumb luck to park right in front of the store?” she said.

The Keyles read and love newspapers, but they found the information to be static and unchanging. Once a paper is printed, it doesn’t change.

“You search a newspaper for a listing or a review but there is no coverage of daily specials," Carmella said. "I had a case of ‘I Want It Now’ syndrome. There was nothing current in last week's paper, I couldn’t find what I was looking for, didn’t know where to go, which store was offering specials and which stores had sales.”  

She further mentioned high-end glossy magazines offered information about nationally advertised products and local newspapers showed the stores that were advertising, but what about un-advertised deals? 

It’s easy enough to find out what’s happening at the mall, but was  there any way to find information on sales and specials downtown  besides stumbling across a sign in a store window?  Even Googling didn’t help.

A light bulb went off and Carmella’s business-planning background kicked in. She thought, “Why not create a Web site that would provide information to those who wish to spend money right in the town where they live? “ 

Carmella is active in the Newcomers-Encore Club of Millburn-Short Hills, which has an email listserv for trading information on local businesses and services. It shares coupons and information about what pre-schools in town have openings and which is the best (and cheapest) dry cleaner. 

She wanted to translate this easy exchange of information into a site that provides up-to-the minute information on great deals right when you’re ready to make a purchase.

Michael Keyles is a long-time technical expert who provided the technical expertise behind Best Town Deals. 

He’s created an easy-to-navigate site that allows a user to print coupons or pick up promo codes that offer discounts and specials for local businesses. The deals range from a free week at Motion Fitness to discounts at La Salon and Forbici Salons to "kids eat free" specials at RockN' Joes. The categories include cleaners and tailors, home furnishings, technology, professional services, gifts, restaurants and salons, spas and gyms.

Besttowndeals.com offers a portal for local deals, as the Web site says, “We are all about providing shoppers with easy search capability to find great local sales for shopping and eating locally. The goal of this site is to match shoppers who want to shop locally and get excellent value with 
local businesses."

Best Town Deals covers Millburn, Short Hills and Summit. Look for Maplewood and South Orange to come soon.