news briefs
UnjumBold Focuses on Home Goods and Organizing
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njumBold, the home goods and organization shop that opened in December on First Street, in Hoboken, had been a dream of John Forslund and Michael Knight for a long time. But it came to fruition while they were on a Jeep Camping trip through Salem, New Hampshire and Maine. In their first year after meeting in New York City, the two fell in love, renovated and sold an apartment in Harlem, renovated and opened a successful Instant Hotel in the Catskills. Then they moved to the New Jersey suburbs and renovated their home there. “Through all of it, we always tried to support small local shops, especially while we were traveling,” Knight says. When COVID-19 devastated small businesses across the United States, including Forslund’s bar and restaurant, they finally had the time to focus on “the dream.” Thus, UnjumBold was born. It offers an array of goods, from dispensers to containers to clothes to baby and dog items, via its storefront and its website. It also offers whole-home, singleroom or corporate organization services, including a complimentary consultation. “At UnjumBold, our retail products and organizing services are meant to elevate your everyday home and lifestyle, with an emphasis on quality over quantity,” Forslund says. “We focus on women, LGBTQ and black-owned companies, highlighting our local vendors and fair-trade partners.” Location: 257 First St., Hoboken, NJ. For more info, contact the shop at 201-478-3922 or info@unjumbold.com, or visit UnjumBold.com. To shop sale items, visit UnjumBold.com/ shop/sale-/21. Follow the store on Instagram @unjumbold.
Buying from Traveling Thrift ‘Like Planting a Mustard Seed’
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uying something from Traveling Thrift is like “planting a mustard seed,” say founders Joel and Stepphany Viera. With a presence on Etsy and at artisan markets, Traveling Thrift sells crafts made by indigenous women in Central and South America, and then uses the proceeds in those regions in various ways—from funding children’s cancer treatments to feeding and housing marginalized people. The Vieras document their work on social media. “Being photographers and cinematographers allows us to reach different places as an excuse to reach many lives,” Stepphany says. Joel calls Traveling Thrift “a heart project.” “Those who purchase from Traveling Thrift are helping countries such as Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico, among others,” he says. “Since it joins different nonprofit organizations, such as Aldea de Niño, Cajas para el Mundo, and Nuevo Pasos, it allows patrons to help others directly by purchasing products created to help and improve. Every purchase helps sponsor students, put food on a table, build a roof on a school, and so much more. That’s why every item in our store has a story.” For example, TT helps combat sexual abuse of young people ages 3 to 30 years by providing art and professional therapies and family, independent and youth counseling. It also trains schools, teachers, parents and communities to fight verbal and/or sexual abuse as a punishment for bad behavior. “Our motto is ‘Seek. Reach. Prepare. Equip.’ That’s our goal for the families and people impacted,” Stepphany says.
First Anniversary Is Sweet for Cake Jars
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ake Jars, an innovative company that sells traditional cakes as elegant single-serving sweets, is celebrating its first anniversary serving Hudson County. Owner Dawn Estrada says she’d been making ice cream cakes professionally for 10 years before leaving that job to start her own business creating a different kind of dessert—“something that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere, with anyone.” “I thought about all my experiences when eating and serving a cake, from the leftovers and waste to how short the shelf life of a cake is in the fridge,” she says. “That’s when I came up with the idea of putting them in jars. They’re the perfect portion that everyone can enjoy at their own pace, and the bonus part is you can maximize freshness and quality of the cake while simultaneously minimizing waste.” Estrada created some sample batches for her family and friends to try, and “next thing I knew, Cake Jars was born,” she says. Now using ingredients from local farms and small businesses, she makes cakes in eight-ounce and four-ounce jars and in a variety of flavors, including birthday cake; red velvet; double chocolate; ube (a traditional Filipino flavor); carrot cake; and a seasonal offering (currently mocha). Cake Jars can be found at farmers markets, pop-ups and local stores, or can they be ordered online and picked up three to five days later at Urban Leaf Café in Nutley, NJ or Grove St Path Plaza Market for all Jersey City and Hoboken orders. They are also available as gift orders or customized for events. For more information, visit Linktr.ee/CakeJars.
For more information, visit Etsy.com/Travelingthriftstore. May 2021
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