Nobody wants a seedy massage parlor in their neighborhood, but Herbertsville residents woke up Friday morning to the prospect that they may be sharing their community with a less-than-desirable neighbor.
A sign posted outside the former Herbertsville Deli late Thursday night (Shorebeat was tipped off to the sign’s presence after midnight) advertised: “Coming Soon: Co-Ed HLA Massage Palor (sic). Happy Ending Guaranteed.”
|
Rest assured, Brick residents, there are no plans for such a business to move into the former deli and meat market space on Herbertsville Road. The sign is merely a good-natured April Fools’ Day prank, presumably the work of a group of locals who jokingly call themselves the Herbertsville Liberation Army – that is the source of the “HLA” on the sign. The same group posted a similar sign last fall, in the same spot, above campaign signs that had been placed below. The previous sign was quickly removed.
As for the deli, attempts by Shorebeat over the past several months to contact the owner of the building have not been successful. The property is not listed for sale, and remains with the same owner – 430 Brick Realty LLC, of Garfield, NJ – that purchased the site from longtime proprietor Pete Benninger in 2007. The deli and meat market, once a popular store, closed last year and has gradually fallen into disrepair ever since.