Archive of ‘Small Business!’ category

Groove on Grove 10-Year Anniversary Party

The Groove on Grove concert series is back for its 10th (!) season this Wednesday, May 3rd. Join The Historic Downtown Special Improvement District for the opening night celebration at the Grove Street PATH Plaza at 6pm.

Dancing Tony of Rock-it Docket will be bringing Jersey City the very best of local musicians this season. Wednesday’s Lineup:
The Milwaukees
Segunda Quimbamba
Universal Rebel

Cocktails and food will be served from local restaurants plus, the Artist & Maker Market will coincide for the celebration, so you can shop all your favorite Jersey City artisans, crafters, and entrepreneurs.

GonG,
JCG

Jersey City Farmers Markets 2017

farmersmarket

Here are the schedules for this season’s farmers markets in Jersey City, kicking off today at the Grove Street PATH Plaza.

Create your dinner around local produce and specialty foods, while also checking out unique items like handcrafted soaps and kitchen tools. Some markets even offer cooking classes, children’s activities, live music and free yoga on certain dates.

Go for the fun and to find information about community programs and other initiatives happening in your micro community of Jersey City. Meet your local vendors, your neighbors (and their pets!), and be involved with the greater picture of the development of Jersey City in 2017.

Grove Street
Monday and Thursday 4-8pm
(May-December)
Grove PATH Plaza

Exchange Place
Tuesday 3-8pm
(May-December)
Harborside Plaza 5

Journal Square
Wednesday and Friday 11am-7pm
(June-November)
Journal Square PATH Plaza

Paulus Hook
Saturday 10am-4pm
(May-Thanksgiving)
Washington St.

The Heights
Sunday 10am-3pm
(May-Thanksgiving)
Riverview-Fisk Park (1 Bowers St.)

Hamilton Park
Wednesday 3-7pm
(May-December)
Hamilton Park (McWilliams @ 8th St.)

Arlington Park
Saturday 10am-2pm
(June-Oct.)
Arlington and Ocean Aves

New Jersey City University
Thursday 4-7pm
(June-November)
110 Culver Ave. (in front of gym)

Lincoln Park
Sunday 10am-3pm
(mid June-November)
Lincoln Park (at the Gazebo)

Van Vorst Park
Saturday 8am-3pm
(May-December)
Van Vorst Park (281 Montgomery St.)

Get your LOCAL on!
JCG

5 Fashion Trends for Risk-Takers

Spring has sprung in Jersey City, yet it’s been cold, gray and rainy almost daily for the past month — which only makes all of us more anxious to break out a new look. So while you stay in hibernation and continue spring cleaning, consider the new pieces you’d like to add to your wardrobe. Suzy Walsh, style blogger at The House Of Elegance Fashionoffers bold trends to try (and please add some color to yours, for my sake:)

5  Fashion Trends for Risk-Takers
Fashion is not always about wearing a summery dress or pairing some graphic T-shirt with jeans. The evolution of fashion is rapid, and youngsters have some of the quirkiest styles. You just never know what turns into a trend overnight — one day you wake up and every woman is sporting it. Here are the 5 most radical styles at the moment that only risk-takers can pull off.

1. The Corset Craze

[Image credit for all celeb photos in the article: Elle.com]

Corsets have been a part of history, and the return has been shocking. Women were initially wearing tight corsets around their waist to shed some pounds, and now they are seen sporting it above clothes as a trend. The trend is seriously getting out of hand as women are pressurizing their waistline to fit into one. If you are comfortable wearing it, go ahead and give it a try. Pair with knee-high boots if you are donning it with a shirt or any of your favorite dresses. Get the look in Jersey City: Naughty and Nice Lingerie

2. Velvet Meets Leather and Faux Fur

Sounds confusing right? Well, we were taken aback when we had seen unique fashionista Rihanna sporting this trend, but somehow it made sense. This is a perfect mixed-weather date night outfit if you want to keep it sexy yet casual. If you have a sleeveless deep necked velvet dress, wear it with your leather faux fur jacket. If the date doesn’t go well, you can always hit the club with this attire! Mix materials without fear: Graffiti and Gold

3. Glam Jammies

Did you ever think that your pajamas could be a fashion statement? Guess what, they are! You can totally wear a pajama jumpsuit with a lapel or trench coat, along with a statement choker and slicked-back hair. Add your pumps that best complement the attire to complete the look. This may be an unusual style, but it is super comfy and something anyone can take a risk with. Another Man’s Treasure usually has “glammies” in stock.

4. Stockings Over Shoes

Do you have a gorgeous strapless thigh-high gown for prom or an upcoming event? Have you considered trying the stocking trend? Yes, Bella Hadid wore stockings with her custom-made gown on the red carpet. Surprisingly, the stockings were worn over her shoes, which made for a a super cool look. It’s a trend everyone can easily try, especially the risk-takers who love experimenting. Get your stockings at Tia’s Place.

5. Lace-up Pants

Lace-up pants in denim and leather have become extremely famous, thanks to the #squad supermodels. If you love the look in leather, take the risk down a notch. Be clashy and pair them with a plaid shirt like Kim Kardashian, or be clean and choose a neutral, basic cotton top (no patterns, no more leather) so that the pants take the spotlight. Head to F21 at the Newport Mall to snag a pair of leather lace-up pants.

Bottom line: Play around with the bold trends of 2017 to see if you can incorporate them into your own personal style.

Suzy Walsh is an expert and style blogger at The House Of Elegance Fashion. Her different approach towards fashion is fresh and fun.

Spring Cleaning

Spring-Cleaning-Jersey City Gal
Spring Clean your Jersey City Home! The best tactic when taking on a gargantuan project is to tackle it one area at a time over a series of sessions — no need to overwhelm yourself. Whether the area is as big as one room or as small as one drawer or cabinet, break up the task into achievable 10-minute segments, and conquer each 10 minutes when ready. If you are not hiring out, here are some useful tips for each section of your home life.

 

CLUTTER

I have a place for everything so I don’t have to look for things. Umbrellas and keys hang by the door, takeout menus have their own upright file box, makeup and jewelry items are organized by casual/edgy/fancy. And my roomie and I have a huge box of items designated “the party box,” full of plates, plasticwear and decorations for every occassion that resides in our storage unit in the basement for other things we don’t need year-round, like beach chairs, skis, and yearbooks.

Takeaway: Have a place for everything, and especially for those things you need in everyday life. At the very least, group like things with like things in each designated area. Looking for necessities saps your time. And time is the most valuable commodity.

 

KITCHEN

♦ Check expiration dates and toss all expired food items along with non-perishables that you will never eat. Save all fun, outdated holiday cards, announcements, and children’s artwork from your refrigerator in a memory box (or toss) to make room for new news.

♦ Rearrange items in cabinets so the ones you use most are at the forefront.

♦ Go through all pots, utensils, and appliances. Remove what you don’t use regularly for donation.

♦ Scrub the oven, stove, and microwave, and wipe down the fridge once you’ve rid the dead items. Oh the power of mistolin.

 

UPHOLSTORY/ RUG STAINS
Rugs and furniture unfortunately collide with pets, babies and accidents. Several people in my life cannot be controlled in tiny spaces with their grand, gestural movements (hello, #happyhands) and therefore, stains are inevitable. Here is a quick guide to treating every household stain. And there’s always club soda and vodka.

 

BATHROOM
I stick to the basics: Clorox bleach and Lysol. But the winner with tough bathroom grit is Bar Keepers Friend. It made my tub shiny new with 1/20th of the scrubbing effort I was doing with a traditional brush and formulas. I mean, I think it erodes surfaces via intense chemical exfoliation that is probably extremely unhealthy BUT, there is nothing like looking at a blindingly sparkling white tub.

 

BEDROOM
I recently developed bad allergies and my awesome allergist put me on a regimen that includes covering my mattress and pillows with dust-mite covers (from Kennedy’s), something I never had to think of before in the past. In addition to washing my stuff with All Free & Clear, the covers have really kept invisible dust out of the air—and out of my lungs.

 

WINDOWS
Power-wash away bad-weather grime; then Windex.

 

LIGHTS/LIGHTING
Simple soap and water is all you need to clean lights. Change the bulbs if necessary. This is also a good time to check the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

 

CLOSET
Purge, purge, purge.

Clothes, shoes, jewelry, handbags: Toss as much as you can to feel lighter. Basic rule: If you haven’t worn it in a year, you probably won’t. Sweaty, ratty stuff can be re-purposed as rags for your household cleaning portion of this segment. Outdated denim can be cut and reconstructed into a purse or a skirt or something it wasn’t. But for the most part, toss.

Specialty items (like personalized handmade knit sweaters, say, that have significant emotional value) should be kept in preserved storage or put on display. Same with family heirlooms. Other tips

 

DONATE

Schoola allows clothes to be donated to raise real dollars for your local school. Just request a bag (free), fill it with items, and leave for the postman. Schoola sells the clothes at a discounted rate, and the proceeds go directly to fund important programs in schools (22,000 schools involved so far)

Very and Another Man’s Treasure may be a new home for some of your cooler stuff.

♦ And then there’s Goodwill and Salvation Army

 

JUNK REMOVAL

Now, if you’re moving your home or your office, you will have a lot of ish to get rid of. That’s where the masterminds Junk-a-Holics come in. They come to you, pick up your stuff and donate, recycle, or re-purpose it accordingly. You do none of the work, but can still feel great being green.

 

ITEMS THAT NEED TO BE CLEANED

POLISH
Jewelry and silverware can simply be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide, whereas wood loves Murphy’s OilOrange Glo and Endust

LAUNDRY
2 Boys Laundromat is my fave, but we should all go to the one on our corner we like best. Support local businesses!

DRY CLEANING
Leon’s One-Hour Cleaners on Prospect & Webster St. is my go-to. They have re-lined my antique coats and made them prettier than the originals; transformed old whites to look newer than new whites, hemmed my jeans and pants with tighter, better seams. They are my fairy seamstresses (and inexpensive!)

 

Clean out & carry on,
JCG

Dulce de Leche Bakery

Dulce de Leche Jersey City

Dulce de Leche in the Heights (376 Central Ave.) is my new favorite hangout spot in Jersey City and here’s why:

Awesome espresso and coffee is just the beginning.
dulce-du-leche

The space is big and bright, thanks to the high ceilings and lighting, and is perfectly upscale while still being welcoming of the mixed clientele. The staff is a bit flummoxed, as they are still figuring it out, but so are the customers, who are still figuring out where they now live or figuring out the changing landscape of where they have always lived.

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