Collaborative Retail Space In Metuchen Hopes To Help Small Biz

METUCHEN, NJ — A new collaborative indoor and outdoor marketplace recently opened in the heart of Metuchen. Newmarket houses a group of small independent businesses where people can shop, eat, and celebrate.

The space is especially geared towards small businesses that are in their initial years of growth. Newmarket is home to permanent "anchor shops," all owned and operated by local Metuchen residents.

The venture is the brainchild of Joanne Cruz and her husband JC Gomez-Peralta, who left their corporate jobs to launch this space in the community.

“We launched Newmarket as an innovative way to imagine retail space for micropreneurs and diversity of products. Our goal is to help young entrepreneurs take their next big step—moving their business to a physical retail location within our marketplace—where they will run their own business and also benefit from the cooperative nature and collaborative efforts of all our entrepreneurs,” Cruz said.

The space opened on Aug. 11 with four permanent anchor shops. “Creative Twist Events” offers party supplies, gifts, and a balloon bar; “FK Living” curates functional and modern design for every lifestyle; “love, june” focuses on “intentional, and thoughtful products and gifts,” while “Sweet Roots Cakery” sells custom cookies and sweets.

Jenna Muldoon who started “love, june” at street fairs, said she was glad to be a part of Newmarket as it provides her a “way to collaborate with other small businesses, learn from each other, and grow our businesses together.”

Newmarket opens at 10 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Closing time is 7 p.m. on weekdays, 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 5 p.m. on Sunday. The marketplace is closed on Monday and Tuesday. It is located at 19 New Street, Metuchen

For more information on pop-ups and retail space, visit https://newmarketmetuchen.com