When I saw this headline -- "Partners Bring Boca to Middlesex County" -- I feared the worst. Because let's face it: Lately, when you hear about a Boca business model being applied somewhere else in America, it's because it ended in a lawsuit, if not a criminal conviction.
And yet despite its reputation as a launching pad for scams, the city's name is still capable of dazzling the imagination of folks far from South Florida, as evidenced by the giddy reception that a couple of New Jersey hairstylists, Norman Hoffner and Anthony Cuccio, are getting from local media after opening the fearlessly (naively?) named Boca Salons in North Brunswick and Jamesburg, New Jersey:
Hoffner said he hopes Boca will feel like a "destination,'' as if guests are "going to Florida -- something that's relaxed, something where you could feel the difference.''Hmmm, yes. Give me the Boca. I believe that means I get the invigorating effects that come with purging my bank accounts, followed by the calming, mind-easing sensations that come wth reading monthly statements that show I'm making enormous profits on my investments. Gosh, that sounds almost too good to be true, and I'm especially curious about this -- oh, what is it called? -- "surprise ending"?
Just kidding, guys. I know there are some posh -- and honest -- salons in Boca, and we wish you luck in bringing that exotic flavor to the spa-needy folks of Central Jersey, at least to get them through their working years, after which they can retire like their neighbors in the actual Boca Raton.
