Garwood

To say the pandemic has changed small businesses is an understatement however it has not changed the selflessness of &grain. While suffering a loss in sales they continued to give back to their community.

Most people in need have a hard time asking for help- This business has given over two thousand loaves of bread plus numerous meals with no questions asked.  I’m thankful for the support they have given to the community and nominate them to be recognized for their generous efforts. 

&grain has stepped up to every challenge the pandemic threw its way. They have adapted their business in many ways to remain open and to continue serving their community. They invested not only their time but their savings to keep their dream alive.  Pre-pandemic John worked long hours but had a team by his side.

Covid made those long hours look like a walk in the park. He had to make cuts and furloughed a lot of employees but the work still needed to be done. He took on all sorts of tasks from opening to close… He was the baker making your bread, the barista making your latte, the person answering the phone for takeout orders, and even sometimes the delivery guy dropping off your order so you can be safe. When he was done at the business he was researching; looking for new opportunities and resources to be a step ahead. 

He evolved to online ordering\delivery options something he would have never considered because his pre-pandemic plan worked.  He made new plans and continues to grow his business every day. When he is not tirelessly working he’s giving back to his community.  Pre-pandemic he would donate to his community and local food drives- During the pandemic he brought it to the next level offering meals to those in need without blinking an eye. The amount of heart and sacrifice to continue to give when times are bad is a true testament to the character of &grain.  They are champions in my book.

Covid has been the best and worst thing that could have ever happened to my business.   The worse is obvious, look at my bottom line and you can easily see a 50% decrease in sales forcing me to lay off half of my staff and leaving a huge question mark on what tomorrow will bring.  Then look at what COVID has forced me to do, get out of my comfort zone, my routine, and force me into the 20th century.  If it weren’t for Covid I don’t think I would have ever had an online store or offered delivery.  Covid forced me to reevaluate my business and see how I could improve and adapt to the current conditions instead of sulking and pointing fingers as to why things were so bad.  I took all the available resources I had to adapt to the environment we were operating in.

I pivoted from a business that relied solely on dine in business to one that offered only takeout and delivery.  If it weren’t for the roots that I had planted in the community and my solid group of loyal customers (what I call friends) I would have been out of business.   I thought how could I give back and pay forward the blessings that I have accumulated in our, at that time 8 years in business.  I thought long and hard and I came up with the idea of offering bread (and food) to those in need for free, no questions asked.  We started a campaign for free bread for essentially anyone who asked.  It was the one thing we could do to do our small part to help anyone in need.

During the pandemic we gave out over 2,000 loaves of bread plus countless meals to those in need and hit hardest by the pandemic.  While most businesses shut their doors and decided to “take a break until things blew over” we looked adversity in the face and kept grinding each and every single day.  I have to thank my loyal staff and customers for believing in us and helping us which in turn allowed us to help others thru this most difficult time. 

Thank you for this nomination and most importantly thank you for your continued support.  Together we will all get through this.  It’s like my dad always use to say “one hand washes the other and together they both wash the face.”

Stefanie and her team at Bella Rococo at Emilia’s were open for less than a year when Covid hit. Like all small businesses, especially those in the service industry they saw their livelihood come to a halt and the success they were enjoying now became a faint memory. Despite the unending uncertainty, they thought outside the box and thought creatively to keep business going.

They teamed up with local businesses to collaborate, they made donations to local FLAG groups even when they needed to conserve, they created new services to safely serve their customers and when they could reopen they came back stronger than ever! On June 4th they celebrated their 2nd anniversary and are on a path to great success!

My name is Stefanie Savino and I’m honored and excited to be recognized as a Union County Small Business Community Champion. I opened my salon in June of 2019. It was my biggest dream manifested and I was so excited of what the future had in store for me and my team. March 2020 we had to close our doors and shut down due to the lockdown. At first I was extremely anxious as I was still navigating being a business owner nevertheless be a business owner during a global pandemic.

At first I thought we were going to close for three weeks at the most, but I was wrong. During the initial weeks of the shutdown, I made sure my team members were always informed and understood how to apply for unemployment benefits. We had weekly or biweekly team meeting via Zoom. During this time there were mask and glove shortages in the hospitals. A client of the salon wrote about this on Facebook and we donated every box of gloves that we had in the salon and masks. We felt that it was the least we could do to help out the medical professionals who were on the front line.

As a new business open less than a year we had to strategize how we could make money while being shut down. We could not perform services on our clients, but we wanted them to feel that we were thinking of them and that they could still look and feel beautiful (even while in quarantine). We were able to work with our distribution companies and have online stores that allowed our clients to purchase products, have it shipped directly to them and we would get a commission from the sale.

Then we connected with the Borough of Garwood and set up a way to have our clients purchase online gift cards. During this time we would have tutorials for the guests and lots of social media interaction. Two game changers that really helped us get through this difficult time and assist in making our rent and utilities payment was our at home color kits and merchandise sales. We created bags with hair color, gloves, a bowl, gloves and a brush and would deliver these to our clients or have them pick it up at the salon.

We also partnered with DpHue who manufactures color kits that people can buy and salons receive a commission per each sale. Jersey Local started by Think D’sign Print in Cranford helped raise money for local businesses by making tee shirts with business logos and sell them. The businesses would receive a portion of the sales of shirts that they sold. These two initiatives combined with donations from clients, and sales from our ecommerce sites really helped the salon during this difficult time.

I pride myself in having a business that truly values giving back. During the pandemic shutdown, we sent donuts and refresher drinks to the Garwood Police department as a thank you for all they did during that time. When everything was shut down, rainbows started to appear all over windows of houses and businesses. This sign provided hope to people that we will get through this and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. To provide a little sunshine for people walking down Center Street in Garwood, I made a front window display of rainbow streamers and a big thank you sign for all the essential workers, doctors, nurses, grocery workers, DPW, Post office and delivery workers, etc to thank them for all their efforts and hard work during this time.

June 4, 2020 was the salon’s one year anniversary being in business. We didn’t let the pandemic ruin our celebration of being strong and standing during this crazy time. My entire team and I had a Honk-a-Thon anniversary parade to celebrate. We invited our entire client base and business associates to come celebrate with us and honk when they drove by. We gave out product samples to people as they drove or walked by and still acknowledged that we were still standing tall regardless of the adversity we were dealing with COVID-19. 

To prepare for reopening my team and I took constant online education classes to keep on top of our skills and to stay inspired. We kept in contact by our weekly Zoom meetings and group chats. In preparing for reopening we hired a cleaning service that comes once a week for deep cleaning and disinfection of the salon. The entire team completed the Barbercide training for COVID-19 Sanitation guidelines. We followed State Board rules and regulations and had temperature check when each guest arrived, everyone wore masks, constantly cleaning the salon in between guests, distanced the stations six feet apart and had an online health form for each guest to complete. I am grateful and happy to say my entire team came back to work upon reopening and were excited to get back to providing a great experience for our guests and be around each other.

This past year has taught me a variety of lessons and there were many nights were I would lay awake wondering how this will all work out. Thankfully, each day I am able to turn the key into my salon and serve. I lead an amazing group of people who are so beyond talented and kind and that makes my job so much easier. I turn a key to a salon that people come too and feel safe, comfortable, happy and relaxed and that makes me feel accomplished. I feel good knowing that with everything we all have to deal with in this day and age I can provide a place of joy and calm. 

Thank you again for this amazing news at being a Union County Small Business Community Champion it means so much to me. At the end of the day I am in business to make people look and feel good about themselves and I’m grateful after all this I can still do that each and every day.

Crossroads is the crux of what brings people together: good food and good music. It’s a Union County treasure, where you can share a meal with your favorite people while watching your favorite band or comedian on any given night. When Covid swept the globe, it didn’t just pull us all apart from the people we loved – it pulled apart the industries that help bring us together. As an independent music venue with a full bar and restaurant, Crossroads was hit hard from both sides.

Like many restaurants, Crossroads had a difficult decision to make: close up shop or adapt. Crossroads’ owner, Lee Frankel, decided to charge ahead, using the kitchen to fill to-go orders and pivot to outdoor dining once the state decided it was safe to do so. Not only did this mean investing in renovating an outdoor space, but investing in the people that keep Crossroads running. The venue managed to keep a full staff on deck — with old staff members even rallying and returning to help where they could.

Despite the challenge of keeping a restaurant and full staff running during a pandemic, Mr. Frankel also pushed to give back to the local community. With an operational kitchen, Crossroads was able to donate food to hospitals and frontline workers in the area. Additionally, they made the most of their outdoor space, using their parking lot as a drop-off area for food banks — and continue to do so.

In the spirit of community, Mr. Frankel and Crossroads banded together with other independent venues that were impacted by Covid and joined the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). Despite restrictions limiting indoor operations, outdoor dining allowed Crossroads to bring live entertainment outside. This meant that local musicians would have a place to work and perform, helping us all find a sliver of normalcy. While Crossroads couldn’t operate normally as a music venue, they pivoted their business model to include live streaming. Artists could film and stream live performances anywhere in the world, right from Crossroads. This new development proved not only to be profitable, but served as an introduction of a small business in a small town to a global audience.

Now in its 25th year of operation, Crossroads has proved its resilience as a small business in the face of ever changing circumstances. Despite the challenges presented by Covid, Mr. Frankel has found new, innovative ways to adapt and thrive to keep this local favorite alive. Having a place to congregate, to share a meal, and to experience live music after a devastating global pandemic is a testament not only to Crossroads’ fortitude, but to the positive impact it has on the entire Union County community.

Crossroads is the crux of what brings people together: good food and good music. It’s a Union County treasure, where you can share a meal with your favorite people while watching your favorite band or comedian on any given night. When Covid swept the globe, it didn’t just pull us all apart from the people we loved – it pulled apart the industries that help bring us together. As an independent music venue with a full bar and restaurant, Crossroads was hit hard from both sides. 

Like many restaurants, Crossroads had a difficult decision to make: close up shop or adapt. Crossroads’ owner, Lee Frankel, decided to charge ahead, using the kitchen to fill to-go orders and pivot to outdoor dining once the state decided it was safe to do so. Not only did this mean investing in renovating an outdoor space that would ensure a safe six foot distance between guests, but investing in the safety of the people that keep Crossroads running. The venue managed to keep a full staff on deck — with old staff members rallying and returning to help where they could. Regular temperature checks and health logs were kept and all staff have been required to wear masks. 

Despite the challenge of keeping a restaurant and full staff running during a pandemic, Mr. Frankel also pushed to give back to the local community. With an operational kitchen, Crossroads was able to donate food to hospitals and frontline workers in the area, such as RWJ University Hospital at Rahway, through FLAG and Feed The Front Lines NJ. Additionally, they made the most of their outdoor space, using their parking lot as a drop-off area for local food banks and supported holiday drives with the Garwood Police Department and Union County Women’s Rugby team, Lady Mudturtles. 

In the spirit of community, Mr. Frankel and Crossroads banded together with other independent venues that were impacted by Covid and joined the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). Despite restrictions limiting indoor operations, outdoor dining allowed Crossroads to bring live entertainment outside. This meant that local musicians would have a place to work and perform, helping us all find a sliver of normalcy. While Crossroads couldn’t operate normally as a music venue, they pivoted their business model to include live streaming. Artists could film and stream live performances anywhere in the world, right from Crossroads. This new development proved not only to be profitable, but served as an introduction of a small business in a small town to a global audience. 

Now in its 25th year of operation, Crossroads has proved its resilience as a small business in the face of ever changing circumstances. Despite the challenges presented by Covid, Mr. Frankel has found new, innovative ways to adapt and thrive to keep this local favorite alive – doubling down on business while business was down. Having a place to congregate, to share a meal, and to experience live music after a devastating global pandemic is a testament not only to Crossroads’ fortitude, but to the positive impact it has on the entire Union County community. 

Crossroads is humbled and honored to be nominated as a Union County Small Business Champion. Mr. Frankel would like to thank the County, the community, and the entire Crossroads crew for all of their unwavering support through such unprecedented times. 

I can’t really say enough goodness about Josh and Rosie’s Wine Bar. Rosie’s has been a favorite of mine since they opened. You could say it is my “Cheers”. They have always been a big part of the community and have been great to their customers, both regulars and new. Throughout the years, Josh has always run community driven events. He has championed for the Garwood community regularly participating in town wide events

When Covid happened, Josh stepped up to the plate as he always does and started working for the underdog. Not only was he delivering meals himself to clients, but he was making sure that he was taking care of the front line workers on a regular basis.

For me it is more personal. My mom, unfortunately, passed away in December due to Covid. Not only did Josh show up at my house with an array of food, he opened his restaurant and held the repass for my mom’s funeral, free of charge. I know he did similar for his other “regulars” as they were facing challenges during this extraordinary year. I could not think of a more deserving person and establishment other than Josh and Rosie’s Wine Bar.

We did everything we could.  We laid off staff.  We rehired staff.  We redid our entire menu, including getting it online when it wasn’t before.

We donated over 500 meals to front line workers.  We conducted numerous online Zoom wine tastings, including 5 local school fundraising events.  We sold cocktails and food to go, which we were not originally designed to do.  We sold essential fruit and vegetable “farm share” packages.  We petitioned and got relicensed for expanded outdoor service, both food and liquor.

We applied for 2 PPP loans and 1 small grant.  We negotiated with numerous vendors for monetary breaks including insurance, satellite music, web hosting services and our landlord for lower rent.  We also applied for the first round of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund but funds were exhausted before we were approved.  Hoping round 2 gets approved by congress.

I am sure I am missing a bunch of other things too.  But the fact that we had to do all of this and more, while maintaining PPE protocols, just to stay afloat is crazy!  Not to make money, not to break even, just to stay open!

Arielle Cassidy, owner and founder of, The Juice House, which has two locations in Union County (Garwood, New Providence), is my nominee. Well before Covid, The Juice House has been an active part of the community but once COVID hit, Arielle used her business to do great things. Being part of a small town in Garwood, she quickly saw surrounding towns creating FLAG campaigns for the front-line workers and knew what she had to do. Creating a FLAG through her business, she took in over $15,000 dollars from donations from amazing customers. These donations allowed The Juice House to supply over 20 food drops to local hospitals, police stations, and fire departments. Totaling over 2,000 acai bowls, plus food from all Garwood based restaurants including, &grain, Rudy’s, Crossroads, Grill Creations, and Mama’s Pizza.

Although only lasting a few weeks, the impact made by The Juice House can be seen in the accompanying photos. The time period during Covid, it was wonderful to see not just The Juice House, but many businesses step up and help. The final gesture with the donations, Arielle purchased gift cards, and had donations from other local businesses which was given away via an Instagram raffle for a front-line worker. A local nurse won the gift bag and received over $1,000 worth of items! The Juice House also adapted during Covid, by updating its system to receive online payments and offering local delivery.

Often you would see a big line of cars on North Avenue in Garwood, and orders being delivered curbside! Although Covid being very challenging, The Juice House also expanded during this difficult time and signed its first franchisee, which will be opening in Freehold, NJ later this summer! I genuinely believe Arielle and the staff at The Juice House deserve to be recognized for their tremendous work during such a daunting time. Arielle maintains a wonderful relationship with St. Joe’s Social Services and provides meals, school supplies and hygienic necessities for the less privileged.

Arielle’s Business Mantra is “be kind, be nice, have respect”. She is a strong proponent of healthy choices and healthy living, which leads to strength and happiness. Once the Pandemic hit, small Businesses were crushed, especially the restaurant Industry. Down to a skeleton crew, Arielle tirelessly worked 24/7 to stay open, changing her entire business structure and complying with all State mandates. In the meantime, her compassion and empathy kicked in, as she knew that all Front Line Workers and First Responders were going above and beyond their capabilities to keep our State safe and protected.

Arielle felt the need to immediately reach out, so along with her sister – Attorney Cory Cassidy – they prepared and provided 1,000’s of healthy foods and small bites choices to local Police and Fire Departments, NJ State Troopers, Doctors’ and Medical Offices, many local Stores and Businesses in the area, and in particular the severely inundated Hospitals – Holy Name in Teaneck; Beth Israel in Newark, JFK in Edison, Trinitas in Elizabeth, Hackensack U Medical Center in Hackensack, Overlook Hospital in Summit; Valley Hospital in Ridgewood – to name a few. Arielle and Cory knew that the food choices had to be healthy, and quick, so they prepared and delivered many, many acai bowls, protein bites, fresh juices, fruit cups and pasta-with-vegetables bowls, most with handwritten words of support and encouragement. They knew that these grab-and-go food options would provide a quick source of energy boost during the fast paced action that descended on all Front Line Workers during this extremely difficult time

In the midst of this crisis, Arielle (and her sister) handled their own Businesses head on, and did the best they could, given the circumstances. Coupled with this, they selflessly and tirelessly paid it forward, with their support and care dedicated to the well-being of the Front Line Workers. There is no better definition of a “Champion”!

The Juice House was open the entire pandemic and used curbside pickup for orders. The owner collected donations for Garwood FLAG to feed the front line workers, they donated food to hospitals and held holiday drives. Arielle constantly gives back to her community and donates a lot to St. Joes in Elizabeth.

Before Covid she held monthly sandwich drives for the shelter since it wasn’t safe during the pandemic she had a drop off box. She donated hygiene products and sandwiches to the Garwood MLK day of service. They had to competently change their business model for a bit but remained safe and busy. I can’t say enough about how much this business gives back and deserves this!

The Juice House is truly a Union County Small Business Community Champion! Covid changed the world and businesses were forced to overcome.

The forward out of the box thinking Arielle has done has been incredible. Not only did she offer curbside pickup she invested in her business putting up dividers to keep her staff and clientele safe. Despite the odds she faced she still made it priority to give back to others! Her business is known for collection drives to give to the less fortunate, she continued this work all during Covid.

Little bit of background -Arielle Cassidy, owner of The Juice House, began her career in healthy eating at a very young age. Her father passed away at an early age and she decided to create a new way to better balance her health and nutrition. In college, studied physiology and minored in nutrition. As a personal trainer at Equinox gym her focus would be on eating well and fueling the body with natural foods.

At the age of 22, Arielle decided to pursue her own dream of offering healthy eating options to the public. She opened the very first Juice House in Garwood, NJ. Her menu was creative and flavor filled. She has since opened other full-time locations including New Providence and Freehold, NJ.

Arielle Cassidy not only has an amazing helpful, knowledgeable staff, she has meetings with often to discuss possible improvements she can make to her stores. She continues to educate herself, and her staff, as much as possible on healthier eating/drinking options and diets.

Her dedication to her business spills over into the community often. She has spoken on many boards, panels, offering nutritional advice and sometimes motivational talks to help women open their own business.

This has been a very confusing and terrible time for many people and at the end of the day we wanted to provide positivity in any which way possible, even if it touched just one person. 

Staying open the entire duration of the pandemic, our team whole heartedly tried to focus all of our energy on not only continuing to remain open, but helping out within the community wherever and whenever possible. A major focus was ensuring the staff was safe and taken care of, but I also genuinely wanted to keep some glimmer of hope and positivity shining through, for our community.

We changed the way we did things for quite some time, and was it VERY different? Of course! But, it was so beautiful and such a blessing to be able to speak to people (even at a distance) and to see their huge smiles as they pulled up to grab their orders. It literally kept us going mentally and physically. I will never forget how amazing every single person was, how supportive they were, and how inspiring and hopeful all of their kind words and actions were. Even during such times of uncertainty. 

It was certainly the most challenging year I have ever had. We completely pivoted and changed our business model, but I cannot say one negative thing about the experience. I still cannot get over how incredible every single one of my staff/team members (aka my second family 🙂 ) and every single one of our customers were/are during this entire time, even up until now. I don’t think any of them truly know how amazing they all are for so many unbelievable reasons. This has been a very scary time and they all showed up for us day in and day out and did what they all could to support and help, all while remaining cautious and as safe as possible. 

Fellow team members sent positive messages and encouraging words to make me feel like I was making the right moves and choices and overall our entire team was insanely positive and beyond helpful throughout the entire process. During such crazy times this was my biggest blessing and still truly leaves me speechless (and in tears). I would be nowhere without any of you!!!! Especially my husband :). The best, most emotional, aspect is that every single staff member and customer really wanted to help our mission during this time and that was to not only support local business, but to show up for the frontline workers like they have been showing up for all of us and to also help individuals in need. 

I personally know so many people who were directly effected and/or on the front lines of COVID, whether they were directly helping tend to patients or were a patient themselves or unfortunately were going through a hard time accessing basic necessities. I tried to do what I could to bring a little spark of joy to front line workers days and within the blink of an eye, customers selflessly donated hundreds into thousands of dollars because they wanted to do something and make a difference. This was all because they saw a little post of us delivering some meals to local healthcare workers and local food banks. 

We were able to provide thousands of meals, not only from The Juice House, but so many other amazing local food establishments. A lot of local food banks also ran out of food and because of both monetary and physical donations, from customers, we were able to make several huge hauls to several food banks helping them re stock their resources. Staff members and customers also selflessly donated time to help make items, to help pick up items and to help deliver items. Making this a beautiful full circle series of events.

I am truly honored to do what I do, work with such amazing humans and to be supported by such amazing customers. I’ll say it a million times, I am just so thankful.