About a decade ago, the idea of beginning a business along the Weehawken side of Park Avenue wasn’t exactly a popular idea. Many of the long-standing stores in the neighborhood were gone, a thing of the past. “You go back eight or nine years, and there were a bunch of empty stores,” Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said. “It was just a change in times. There were a lot of businesses like candy stores and delicatessens that were owned for a long time by families, and when they closed or moved out, there wasn’t anyone to move in.” The trend for small businesses would be to head to the malls or shopping plazas. It appeared as if the idea of renting a storefront along the busy thoroughfare was a part of ancient history. However, Park Avenue is experiencing a sense of new-found vitality lately, with two new businesses already opening its doors and several others preparing to open shortly. “There’s definitely a change going on in the entire neighborhood,” Turner said. “Pretty soon, there will be no vacant stores along Park Avenue.” One of the new businesses is MeLu, an arts and crafts boutique that features many different homemade signs and gifts. The other is the Earth Grains Organic Food and Caf
Two new stores just the beginning for Weehawken’s main thoroughfare
