When 'Back To Normal' Means Businesses Close

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — A company called Illuminate Food, started by a Maplewood woman in 2020, delivered boxes of farm-fresh food to North Jersey residents throughout the pandemic. But last month, the company sent a farewell message:

"Illuminate was started in April 2020 as an urgent response to an urgent need at the time," read the note to customers. "Nearly three years later, life has pretty much gone back to normal. ...Offices have reopened, and we're all left with less time to cook. Unfortunately that means there's less interest in having a big box of local produce delivered each week."

The company referred people to other delivery services, saying their last delivery would be in mid-December.

Several other companies that opened to fill pandemic needs also have recently decided to close or change their model.

On Jan. 10, the Wonder food truck company, which sent chefs-on-wheels into New Jersey's most wealthy neighborhoods since 2021, announced it would stop most of its trucks and instead install 10 stationery kitchens in Essex, Bergen, and Union counties, and in New York.

And the Daybase co-work space that opened in Hoboken last year suddenly closed last month.

The location shut down in early December with a message on its door about flooding, then never reopened. On the company's main Facebook page, it says simply, "We're taking a break."

The company told local media and customers at the time that it decided to close the location for good and did not elaborate about reasons. Over the last few weeks, Daybase didn't respond to multiple messages sent by Patch, and phone calls to their offices in Hoboken and Harrison, N.Y. led to a recording saying to press a number, which leads to a message saying no one is available right now.

Originally, the company was meant to provide a "hybrid" between working at home and commuting to an office. The idea was to bring the "office" to suburban neighborhoods.

The company was founded by former WeWork executives in New York City, intending to "create a purpose-built third space, between home and the office, for the post-pandemic hybrid or remote worker."

A message sent about the closing on Dec. 6 said, according to Hoboken Girl, "When we conceived Daybase, we were all trying to figure out what 'hybrid work' meant and how the world was going to evolve post-pandemic. Over the last year, we've truly enjoyed watching our members adopt flexible schedules and make exciting lifestyle changes unlocked by this new way of working. Unfortunately, we have made the difficult decision to close our Hoboken location. Out last day of operations will be on Friday, Dec. 9."

While the pandemic forced some North Jersey businesses to close, a few other entrepreneurs have found ways to adapt.

Adjusting To The 'New Normal'

In Hoboken, two other cowork spaces, Mission 50 and Sweven, continue to operate. Both host arts events and mixers in addition to coworking: Mission 50, in the southwest corner of Hoboken, has held art exhibits and receptions. Sweven, a members-only space, runs weekly events.

Jeff Dyer and his wife Jess started their nut-free coffee shop in Hoboken — Joey No Nuts — six months before the pandemic, and have made an adjustment. They've decided to stick to serving customers through their outside window, rather than having guests inside like they used to.

"While we offered window service pre-pandemic, it has since become our preferred way to do business," Jeff Dyer said last week. "We may have lost those customers who’d sit and chat, or work on their laptops, but we’ve attracted others who appreciate the convenience and streamlined operation."

Meanwhile, Illuminate Food has sent out a number of emails to former customers after their farewell message, recommending other services and promising to continue the newsletter with recipes and recommendations.

"From the notes we received, many of you seemed surprised and I agree, it's hard to know when a small business is struggling until it's too late," wrote Danielle Schwab in late December. "Building Illuminate has been my proudest accomplishment and even though the box delivery business is coming to a close, I have been dreaming up how to keep this community and brand alive through the love of local food."

She reiterated that she believes demand declined because people have less time to cook. She added, "We recognize that since the earliest days of quarantine, when folks had time to try new recipes and be home to receive perishable deliveries, a lot has changed. ... As my dad likes to tell anyone who will listen, we truly did start in the garage in Maplewood and through this community's interest in local food and supporting small business, we had a great run. On to the next chapter!"

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