Metuchen Area Chamber of Commerce To Close After Decades

METUCHEN, NJ — The Metuchen Area Chamber of Commerce has decided to voluntarily close, the organizing announced Sept. 17. The Chamber was initially founded in 1918 and was formally re-incorporation in 1950.

The organization said it made the decision after taking into consideration the variety of “new and changing conditions.”

“After much consideration, we have decided to begin the process of planning for the Chamber’s voluntary dissolution, one that will allow us to leave a legacy that we are proud of by closing our organization at the right time with integrity and dignity,” the organization said in a statement.

“We have determined that no one individual factor has overwhelmingly steered our thinking, but that it is the breadth and variety of new and changing conditions that has guided our decisions.”

During the last year and a half of the pandemic, the organization was working to assist its members. The Chamber said changes in the community have challenged the sustainability of the self-funded membership organization.

“This dissolution is not an organizational failure, but rather a retirement,” the organization said.

"By dissolving now, we can retire in a methodical and organized fashion, passing on funds and critical information to those nonprofits that are willing and able to take on some of our long-standing events and initiatives.” To read their entire statement, click here.

The Chamber office at 323 Main Street will remain open until the end of this year, and they will continue regular member services and events until December 31, 2021, including scheduled ribbon cuttings, cruise nights, town-wide garage sales, weekly eblasts, and more.

“Please know that we have taken a great deal of time to come to this decision, and that we have only done so with consideration of the road ahead as we can best see it,” the Chamber said. “We feel we are choosing the best path forward, with a rationale that is based not in decline, but in pro-active planning.”

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