Essex County New Jersey is known for its shopping. From high-end shopping centers like the Short Hills Mall to discount strip malls, shopping in NJ is plentiful. But sometimes the best shopping can be found in your own home town. I’ve put together a selection of some of the unique retail establishments in our area that I’m sure you will find irresistible.
Salvage Style, a vintage home furnishings store located in the heart of downtown Maplewood, offers chic home furnishings with a past. The owner Amy Hughes, a magazine editor, writer, and seasoned DIYer scours estate sales and flea markets for items that are architecturally interesting to transform into new home decor. She re-upholsters or re-purposes the pieces with non-toxic materials to create updated and stylish treasures for your home. She also finds fun, affordable accent pieces. There is always something “new” to discover.
Kitchen a la Mode, open since 2008, is a quirky kitchen shop located in South Orange. Ben Salmon, the proprietor, carefully hand-selects unusual, fun and useful items to make your kitchen experience rewarding and enjoyable. The shop carries thousands of products from well known time-tested brands to exciting new brands. They also offer knife sharpening, Sodastream gas refills, and filters for water pitchers. The prices are lower than you would expect, and the service is great! This unique shop is consistently named the Best Kitchenware Store in NJ.
Seed 387, short for Simple Elegant Design, has been in business in downtown Millburn since October 2010. Its owners, Judith Rudman and Nancy Levy, travel the world to find unique, fabulous home furnishings and lifestyle pieces. In a nod to their clientele, their selections include everything from vintage to ultra modern and everything in-between. This boutique reflects global and local trends to bring you the best of everything.
DoubleTake Luxury Consignment is one of the country’s premier luxury consignment boutiques. It opened in Short Hills in 1992. Two additional locations were added in 2010 in Red Bank and Ridgewood. DoubleTake only accepts the highest quality and current designer clothing and accessories. When Marci Kessler the CEO of DoubleTake conceived her idea for the boutique, she knew she wanted a store where high quality designer clothing could be purchased at very reasonable prices, even below wholesale. More than 20 years later, fashion savvy women have access to the world’s finest designer merchandise at a fraction of the original cost. Every day is different at DoubleTake. You never know what fabulous garment you might find on the racks!
Schneider Hardware has been a staple on Main Street in West Orange for almost a century, offering great service, good variety and good prices. Roger and Gerald Schneider are 3rd generation owners who are carrying on the business traditions that were established by their grandfather 87 years ago. Schneider Hardware is the oldest family operated retail business in town and the oldest hardware store in Essex County. There are several unique aspects to this business that many places don’t offer. They have an extremely extensive selection of plumbing repair parts, they rent hand and power tools, they sharpen all blades (knives, scissors, etc.), they repair snowblowers and lawnmowers, and they offer free parking and delivery for their customers. And, customers will always be able to speak to an owner. Stop in for a pleasurable hardware store experience.
Jay’s Shoe Box in Livingston is a family run business that was established in 1954 and offers the largest selection of kids shoes in the area. Jay’s stocks over 25,000 pairs of shoes for kids and toddlers and carries more than 50 brands. The family offers stylish footwear for children and is one of the first stores to carry imported brands. They also helped start the kids Euro movement in the United States. Jay’s provides unrivaled customer service, and kids feel special and comfortable there. Make your kid’s feet happy at Jay’s!
Kicks N Sticks in Vauxhall is a favorite among sporting goods stores. It was established in 1987 and specializes in soccer and lacrosse gear. The store draws customers from all over Essex county, and customers return year after year to purchase their new equipment. They carry a full range of equipment for the budget conscious to the top spender. The owners are Larry Martelli and Don Santora, and they make you feel like family. If you have a sporty kid, Kicks N Sticks is the place to go.
Olive That and More! offers quality extra virgin olive oils, balsamic vinegars, sea salts, artisanal pastas and unique gifts. Located in Montclair, this unique shop is family-owned and operated by a husband and wife team, Steve Lehrhoff and Jennifer O’Sullivan. They bring the finest and freshest products from around the world back to Montclair. They offer more than 30 varieties of olive oil and flavored oils, more than 10 choices of aged balsamic vinegar and flavored vinegars, and more than a dozen different sea salts. Take your cooking to new heights with new flavor combinations!
Jabberwocky in Chatham is a family-owned retail establishment that offers a hand-picked selection of award winning children’s books and educational toys. The staff are extremely knowledgeable about all children’s literature, and they strive to find the perfect book or toy for any child. The premise behind this store is that play is essential to the physical, emotional and social well being of a child. They offer free gift wrapping and will provide free delivery within a 5 mile radius of the store. If you would like expert advice when selecting books and toys for your kids, Jabberwocky is the place to go.
British Home Emporium, located in a restored livery stable in Madison, offers 7000 square feet of amazing home furnishings. This establishment has been in business since 1994 when Jim Larcara and his son Alan opened a small furniture store. They sold the business to husband and wife team Nina and George Karamallis in 2007, and Jim and Alan stayed on as consultants. Nina and George are carrying on the store’s heritage and offer their customers exceptional service and personal attention. They offer classic and modern furniture that can be customized to meet a client’s needs. Most of the artwork in the store is from local artists and is custom framed. If you are looking for custom furniture, lighting, artwork, rugs, linens or unique accessories, stop in and talk to any of the knowledgeable interior designers.
The Paper Pedlar, a privately owned family business, opened in 1972 on Morris Turnpike in Springfield. It was originally a factory outlet for a wholesale gift wrapping business that needed to sell their surplus gift wrap. Today, with a warm and welcoming atmosphere, The Paper Pedlar sells gift wrap, ribbons and bows, as well as an extensive selection of stationery, cards, party goods, gifts and Vera Bradley bags and accessories. Stop in for all your stationery and party supply needs.
No. 18, a high end women’s clothing and accessories boutique in Summit, is the manifestation of owner Brianne Tammaro’s lifelong dream. Brianne had worked in the fashion industry for her entire professional life and had dreamed of bringing luxury labels and high-end shopping to suburban NJ. Together with her mom, Nancy Tammaro, she opened her store on Maple Street in November of 2014. In addition to luxurious contemporary and designer clothing and accessories, No. 18 offers private styling services and personal shopping. Brianne and Nancy believe in having a one on one, personalized relationship with each of their clients They recently partnered with Marisol Page, a business woman and mom, to expand the business into Hoboken. Outstanding customer service and quality merchandise make No. 18 a shopping destination.
Take some time to enjoy these and some of the other fine retail establishments in our local area.
Happy shopping!
The Allison Ziefert Real Estate Group is a top producing real estate group based at Keller Williams Mid-Town Direct in Maplewood, NJ. Allison Ziefert, a local market expert, specializes in Maplewood, South Orange, Millburn/Short Hills and West Orange, NJ real estate and homes, and the surrounding towns. Allison’s success as a Maplewood/South Orange realtor is driven by earning great testimonials from sellers and buyers of homes in her marketplace. You can read her testimonials at www.azhomesnj.com/testimonials.
Contact Us
By submitting information, I am providing my express written consent to be contacted by representatives of this website through a live agent, artificial or prerecorded voice, and automated SMS text at my residential or cellular number, dialed manually or by autodialer, by email, and mail.
