M&M Store—First of its Kind—Set for Hackettstown
High Street to be named after Mars Inc. after 54 years in community.
It began as a simple lunch date between a public official and some business professionals in town on a cold February day.
Eight months later, that lunch conversation will spawn two major events that could change the face of Hackettstown for years to come.
Mars Inc., makers of everything from pet food to chewing gum and candy, most notably the chocolate treats M&Ms, will open its first "pop-up" store at 160 Main St. in Hackettstown—the company’s home since 1958.
That M&M-focused storefront will only be open for two weeks, as the company tests the pilot program to see if it will be sustainable in other locations throughout the country.
Prior to the ribbon-cutting of the retail space on Tuesday, Oct. 16, the thoughts from that lunch date will become reality, as Hackettstown renames a portion of High Street (the Mars factory location) in honor of the family-owned business.
“As the new mayor, I wanted to get out and meet with the businesses in the community,” said Maria DiGiovanni, currently serving the first year of her three-year term as Hackettstown mayor. “When I met with the folks from Mars, they brought up the idea of renaming the street. My first thought was ‘absolutely.’”
The event will begin at 1 p.m. at the Mars factory where DiGiovanni, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and executives from the company will unveil the street sign and speak to those in attendance.
From there, the ceremony will be moved six-tenths of a mile south to the pop-up store’s location for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Financial Footprint
While the pilot store will only be open through Oct. 31, town officials believe it could be a boon for Hackettstown.
“I’m hoping to see a lot of foot traffic,” DiGiovanni said. “When someone comes to town to check out the store, they can walk around and grab some coffee, maybe a bite to eat and do some shopping in the area as well.”
One of Hackettstown’s biggest business proponents believes stores in the immediate area of the M&M space will be impacted greatly.
“This is going to be fantastic,” said Jim Sheldon, executive director for the Hackettstown Business Improvement District. “For the stores right there in the area, it’s going to put them back on the map. It’s going to be a great opportunity for the town.”
While the store, for now, will only be open for two weeks, it was a long process in the making, DiGiovanni said.
“There was a lot that went into it,” the mayor said. “It’s been a long process, but it takes the right combination of people to get things like this off the ground.”
The M&M store will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
Joanne
12:55 am on Friday, October 12, 2012
I would check it out, but in order to prosper I would think they better keep their prices in check, otherwise I see a big flop
Wendy Stanton
9:11 am on Friday, October 12, 2012
Joanne, FYI it's not about the money - M&M is giving back to the community - the special items commemorating Hackettstown were made by Abilities of NW NJ - http://www.abilitiesnw.com/ --- and 100% of the proceeds are being donated back to Hackettstown in some way! Way to go M&M!
Joanne
12:47 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012
Wendy~ thats nice but nowhere in that article does it mention that at all....people will not go out to buy M&M's when they can possibly get them at the grocery store on sale and not having to pay for parking either...or are they going to offer free parking in support of such a cause??? that would be nice. Strolling down the streets of Hackettstown is not what it used to be sorry to say
Rex
1:35 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012
Joanne, curious about your comment "Strolling down the streets of Hackettstown is not what it used to be sorry to say" - What do you really mean here? Hmmmm...... Having lived in Hackettstown for over a year now (formerly lived in Long Valley) , I find it a safe & vibrant community. It has a true old time main street which is improving each and every month. BTW, you can find free parking a block off of main street. A little walking is always a good thing. As mentioned in the article, the store is a pilot program, so give it chance and see how it goes
Claire
7:25 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012
mmm, I do know what Joanne means. I have had 2 flat tires in the public parking lots in hackettstown in the past few years. Not riding over anything but someone slashing tires in daylight. There is a large group of "men" who hang out on the corner in the morning looking for work. Sorry but it is not like it was. I will give another chance reading some comments and see if ihas changed. I hope so because I enjoyed walking down the Main Street with my stroller years ago.
Diggy
2:24 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012
I agree with Joanne, Hackettstown is not the place to stroll as it was even 5 or 6 years ago. The aniques shops have gone, the interesting little indie shops are gone. Yes, you can safely stroll but it's hardly what I would call a tourist destination - even with an M&M's storefront. Sweet and once wonderful Hackettstown has been eaten by Walmart, Target and all of the national chains in Mansfield and has dried up. There is not "there" there.
judi
5:47 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012
@Rex, I agree with you-I have lived on the outskirts of the middle of town for 20 yrs-I have not walked around the streets of Hackettstown in a while till yesterday-And to be perfectly honest I found it quite inviting, clean and yes different from years ago but still nice..Oh and by the way, this article is about M&M opening a pilot store not about the streets of Hackettstown--Plenty of free parking behind Trinity Church---Good Luck M&M-see you Tuesday
Green eggs & spam
8:18 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012
Not being from the area but interested in seeing the store, is it really ok to park in the church's parking lot or is there some sort of public lot there?
Jay Bell
11:08 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012
Philanthropic goodwill on the part of M&M. Mmmmm... NICE.... Many other companies should follow this lead. www.firebrandcentral.com
Joanne
5:25 am on Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Jenna~ the street parking is really just a quarter for an hour... across the street from the M&M store are other stores and behind them is also a larger metered lot. I am not familiar with the churches parking
Wendy Stanton
7:31 am on Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Folks, the Church parking lot is for patrons of the Church, their Thrift Store and Food Bank, please don't park there.
There are several parking lots within a block of the store - see the basic map on this link. http://www.hackettstownbid.com/docs/parking-map.pdf
The meters on the street are FREE for the first 15 minutes to allow locals to dash in and make their purchase without having to feed the meter. But, the meters are only a quarter for a full hour, not bad if you ask me.
Oh and Joanne, sorry the article was not based on their full press release from a while ago.... http://www.hackettstownbid.com/news/2012/9/mars-chocolate-north-america-brings --- hope this helps.
On strolling down the streets of Hackettstown, been a resident here for about 15 years, it has vastly improved in my opinion - shopkeepers are tending to the new sidewalks better than they were - the lampposts add so much charm - we have wonderful unique restaurants and shops that you cannot find anywhere else. Perfect, not yet, but well on our way!
Green eggs & spam
8:46 am on Tuesday, October 16, 2012
I didn't think it would be ok to park in the church lot and wanted to clarify. Thanks and love the map! It's been a few years since we've been to Hackettstown and we keep meaning to come back. We found it to be lovely.
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