Business & Tech
Carrie Anne's to Hold Grand Opening Saturday
Phillipsburg proprietor hopes to succeed in what's been a tough location.
Carrie Anne’s is not your usual, run-of-the-mill gift shop, but one that specializes in products which are environmentally friendly, largely organic and mostly made in America.
Located at 401 Northampton St., owner and operator Carrie Anne Del Cioppo felt there was a real need to see more retail businesses in the area other than simply another discount cigarette store.
A wife and mother (her five children range in age from 10 to 20 years old), Del Cioppo, who lives just across the river in Phillipsburg, has never run a business until now.
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"It was time for me to get out of the house and spread my wings a bit," Del Cioppo said.
She says her goal is to serve a clientele with a shop that will “fill those needs you didn’t even know you needed.”
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Given the track record of many small businesses that have tried and failed to establish a foothold in Easton’s once-thriving community, Del Cioppo cites the desire voiced by various friends for a local store that offered healthier alternative gift options.
The success of Nature’s Way Market (an Easton staple for over 30 years just a few blocks away), is her strongest indicator that this sort of business can work here.
“I want to give people something they can’t get at the malls," she said. All the same, she realizes she has her work cut out in making her very unique gift shop a success.
Some of the items that will be available at Carrie Anne’s include natural bath and body products, distinctive art and home decor, health-promoting soy candles, premium chocolates, one of a kind jewelry by local artists, recycled organic plush toys and much more.
Although there's a grand opening slated for Saturday, the store has been open and operating since mid-July. According to Carrie Anne, the response so far has been very positive.
"We’re still tweaking things a bit," she allows, fully aware that the process of running a business can be just as organic as the products she sells. "We want to do our best to be a store that people can really appreciate."
