NJ Woman Who Co-Founded $300M Company Opens New Store In Montclair

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A Montclair entrepreneur who co-founded a company that has generated hundreds of millions in sales is getting ready to launch her latest business venture, and it will fulfill a dream that she's had since she was a little girl.

When her new gift and curiosity shop – A Wonderful Time – opens downtown at 484 Bloomfield Avenue on Oct. 1, Monique Zauner will get a chance to put a simple premise into practice: "Giving people a wonderful time matters more than getting them to buy something."

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Zauner has the resume to back up this altruistic approach to doing business. After co-founding international snack subscription service Universal Yums with her husband in 2014, the company has racked up more than $300 million in sales and sold more than 13 million boxes.

Now, Zauner is trying to recreate that magic with A Wonderful Time.

Inside the store, visitors will find greeting cards meant to be written to a future self… an exclusive gift collection created with painter Vivian Reiss… candies and snacks from around the world… porcelain collectibles that turn moments from modern history into traditional Delft-style designs.

And its bottom line will be measured in the pride that it creates for its owner.

"Since I was a little girl, I've wanted a store where I could put my ideas into the world," Zauner said. "I got to build it in my hometown, where my kids can come visit and watch me work."

"I named it 'A Wonderful Time' because that's how I want to measure its success, for the people who walk in and for myself," she added.

The gift shop will celebrate its opening day on Thursday, Oct. 1. Learn more about this local business here.

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