Four women business owners host celebration in honor of National Business Women's Week

Being in the same building creates a unique bond between the women

(HIGHLAND PARK, NJ) Oct. 24, 2012 - The women business owners at 440 Raritan Ave. thought this week - National Business Women’s Week® - would be the perfect time to celebrate their businesses.

Belvidere Pharmacy, The Loft Salon, Through the Moongate and Over the Moon Toys are each owned by women and are located in the same historic building at the corners of Raritan and South Fifth avenues. The owners came together Oct. 23 to host the building’s ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration.

“After signing in at the welcome tent, guests received gift bags with samples and information from all the stores,” said Shara Rudner, R.Ph, president of Belvidere Pharmacy, which makes custom medicine for individual patients. “It was a wonderful celebration of the renovation and completion of the building and I’m proud to call it our new home.”

Established in 1938, National Business Women’s Week® provides an opportunity to call attention to women entrepreneurs, facilitate discussions on the needs of working women, share information about successful workplace policies, and raise awareness of the resources available for working women in their communities.

Rudner, who after 15 years of growing her business, relocated Belvidere Pharmacy to Highland Park less than a year ago. She said the joint celebration “allowed us to network with each other’s customers. Guests walked the red carpet between the businesses. My customers were able to see The Loft Salon, Over the Moon Toys and Through the Moongate and their customers got to see my business and what we do.”

Belvidere Pharmacy, PCAB Accredited since 2007, specializes in compounding, which, according to Rudner, is the answer to health issues for countless patients across the world. Some patients may be allergic to ingredients found in mass-produced medications, some need to take more obscure drugs that are no longer manufactured, or may require a specific dose that isn’t commercially available. Others have difficulty with swallowing pills and would welcome a topical or liquid form of their medications. Compounding can meet all of these individual needs, and more, she said.

At Belvidere Pharmacy, where the space is ultramodern and offers a host of conveniences, such as a comfortable waiting room, first-floor entrance and parking, it also boasts multiple new compounding rooms.

“With our new facility, we’re able to accommodate individual customized medications, as well as any scale clinical study,” said Rudner. “Our innovative facility goes hand-in-hand with our extensive policies and procedures.”

Ann Marie Marron, the owner of The Loft Salon, got a lesson in innovative, new spaces a couple of years ago.

In 2001 Ann Marie was working as a hair stylist in the upstairs space at 440 Raritan Ave. before it was The Loft Salon. At that time the building was run down and needed to be renovated.

In 2009, after going through two salon owners, Ann Marie left the building in search of another salon space. A few months later, she found out that George Grumet, the new owner at 440 Raritan Ave. was looking for someone to rent the space upstairs. Ann Marie immediately took the opportunity to bring her clients back home. After signing a lease, she began renovating the upstairs loft space to reflect her own creative style. In June of 2010, The Loft Salon was born.

“Our goal and priority at The Loft Salon is to provide exceptional service in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere where our clients can feel at home,” Ann Marie said. “We are committed to a culture of creativity and growth. Through continuously inspiring education, we recognize and welcome that there is a constant evolution in fashion as well as in an individual's personal style. We have mastered fusing superior knowledge, personalized attention, and the finest quality products available in order to create a harmonious connection between the client and the salon professional.”

Sisters Jenni Chapman and Rebecca Chapman-Smith and their mother, Pat Chapman, know a thing or two about harmonious connections. They are the owners of Through the Moongate and Over the Moon Toys, a gift and toy store respectively, that they have fused into one space at 440 Raritan Ave.

The Chapmans opened their businesses a little more than eight years ago in Highland Park. Their previous landlord gave them two years’ notice that he was going to tear down the building, so the Moon stores’ owners knew they would have to eventually relocate, said Jenni Chapman.

“There’s lots of exposure. There’s a traffic light right outside, so people stop right in front of the store and there’s plenty of parking,” Chapman said about 440 Raritan Ave. “Plus, there are a lot of historic elements and we’re happy to be in a space like this because we always envisioned being in a historic space from the beginning.”

At Through the Moongate, you will find handcrafted gifts made by American artists and goods made by artisans from around the world. These artisans share our vision for environmental stewardship and strong communities, she said.

Over the Moon Toys is a neighborhood toy store with toys and games for all ages. Over the Moon Toys’ philosophy is that learning is fun and playing is a form of education. You can always find American-made, eco-friendly, fair trade, and completely safe toys at Over the Moon Toys. Visiting the “moon stores” is always an adventure for the soul and a feast for the senses. 

Main Street Highland Park is a non-profit community development organization that manages the downtown Business District for the benefit of the merchants, business owners and residents of Highland Park, as a place to live, work and do business. MSHP is an officially designated program of Main Street New Jersey, a program of the NJ Department of Community Affairs.