FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Main Street New Jersey Presents the NJ350 Montclair Center Pop-Up Store

Montclair is the First City in Essex County to Host Temporary Shop


MONTCLAIR, N.J. - New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner, Richard E. Constable, III, today reminded residents that NJ350 Pop-Up Stores will continue to make appearances throughout the state to honor and celebrate New Jersey’s 350th Anniversary. The next NJ350 Pop-Up Store will be hosted by　Montclair Center　in the　historic downtown commercial district of Great American Main Street Award semi-finalist and APA-NJ Great Downtown award-winning　Montclair,　NJ from November 21st through 30th, 2014.　 Montclair Center is New Jersey’s Favorite Downtown Art District and will be well-represented in the Montclair Center Pop-Up offering. Store hours can be found on the NJ350 website.

　

The Montclair Pop–Up Store is the thirteenth of only sixteen temporary store sites that have been chosen in 14 communities during 2014.　 This first-of-its-kind unique statewide program of temporary stores will travel over 1,000 miles during NJ’s 350th anniversary year.　

NJ350 Pop-Up stores　celebrate New Jersey’s Sesquarcentennial — 350th anniversary— and specialize in merchandise with a unique New Jersey focus.　 Featured products are what curators have dubbed ‘Jerseyana.’ Included are the ‘Jerseyopoly’　board game and "Goodnight, Jersey" children’s book, as well as NJ350 and state-branded merchandise; educational items; books about NJ – its history, quirks, nature, food, and politics; items specific to the arts　and creativity in　Montclair;　Governor Chris Christie’s popular state-silhouette lapel pin; Items from the　Island of Jersey　(from which NJ received its name) and more.

　

"We’re　excited that　Montclair Center　was chosen as a host of New Jersey’s 350 Pop-up store program — a first-of-its-kind project — and proud to be the first　host in Essex County," said Luther Flurry, Executive Director of　Montclair Center. "Our great　downtown has a wonderful mix of independent retail, fine dining, and a vibrant art scene.　 The NJ 350 Pop-Up will feature music, demonstrations and special guests daily.　 We are particularly looking forward to Shop Small Saturday and hope this Pop-Up will help us kick off the holiday season."　

　

　

While Vineland,　South Orange and Trenton　will host the NJ350 Pop-Ups in December, Montclair Center’s unique wares will not be found at any other location.

　

Jef Buehler, State Coordinator of the Main Street New Jersey and Improvement District Programs at the DCA said, "It is our hope the NJ 350 Pop-Up stores will raise awareness of the rich history, character, and commerce in our traditional towns all over the state.　We also want to show that a vacant storefront can have retail success, hopefully inspiring small businesses to fill that space after each pop-up store moves to the next location around the state."

　

The NJ350 Pop-Up Store project is made possible by Main Street New Jersey, the NJ Department of Community Affairs and the NJ Historical Commission, and is sponsored by vend, SnapRetail, IKEA, Friends of NJ State Museum, RetailMinded, Storesigns.com, The NJ State Archives, ITO Design, Alignable, and the NJ State Museum. Promotional partners for this year-long program include Independent We Stand, Be A Localist (BALLE) and the American Independent Business Alliance.

　

Main Street New Jersey is a comprehensive revitalization program that promotes the historic and economic redevelopment of traditional business districts in New Jersey. The program builds on the Main Street Approach™ that was developed by the National Trust’s National Main Street Center in 1980 to assist downtown revitalization efforts nationwide. Communities participating in Main Street New Jersey receive valuable technical support and training to assist in improving their Main Streets. The program employs a four-point approach that focuses on:

　

  • Building a strong, local Main Street organization that is well-represented and funded by stakeholders such as residents, merchants, civic groups, and bankers; 

  • Restructuring the district’s economics by engaging in such activities as recruiting new businesses, converting unused space for new uses, and sharpening the competitiveness of merchants; 

  • Enhancing the visual appearance, attractiveness and traffic management of the business district; and 

  • Promoting the district through festivals, retail events and marketing campaign to encourage consumer traffic. 

　

For more information, visit NJ350ShopLocal on Facebook and Twitter, or on the web at http://officialnj350.com/category/shop-nj350/.

For more information regarding Main Street New Jersey, log on to www.mainstreetnewjersey.com.