Home Care In Blackwood, NJ

Ren’s Coffeehouse & Books is coming to Blackwood NJ, targeting an early 2024 opening.

The location is on the Black Horse Pike in the Historic Blackwood area of Gloucester Township, in a building situated between Church Street and Cleveland Street.

This is in the older historic section of Blackwood. The area has a lot of “good bones” to the buildings and storefronts, but will really benefit from having another destination business in the mix, to bring more people into the area.

The Ren’s Coffeehouse & Books building features two storefronts, and she will be taking over both of those units.

The right side space will be the coffeehouse section, and the left segment will be the bookstore. An interior doorway will connect the 2 units.

Some will remember that a bookstore operated previously in the left unit, which is where Ren is building out her bookstore. Ren says she is targeting a mix of both new and used books for sale.

It’s wonderful that the area sees the return of an independent small bookstore, and with Ren’s she’ll also offer a wonderful coffee shop featuring freshly brewed coffee, espressos and other fancier beverages!

Ren plans on offering pastries and other coffee oriented cakes and snacks, but she will not have a kitchen.

Ren’s Coffeehouse & Books – Authentically You

Ren first shared her news at the popular South Jersey Food Scene group, where group members really responded positively to her new business.. and for taking a chance to chase her dreams! (Facebook)

I had a chance to chat with Ren over the weekend. She tells me that after 20 years of working in corporate retail she’s finally living her dream and opening her own business!

Her Corporate retail experience did involve a lot of coffee sales, but that was really catering to morning commuters who would only pop in for a coffee and then rush out the door.

But Ren remembers back to being a young musician playing at open mics in local coffee shops. It seems with her new coffeehouse and bookstore, Ren is looking to have a deeper connection with the community. Absolutely you can get a delicious fresh brewed coffee and head off to work or school… but also, you can also stay and relax a bit… maybe play a board game with friends… or try out your latest song.

This endeavor was inspired by the years I spent playing open mics as a teenager. I was a young musician who found comfort and support in my local coffeeshop. It was a safe space to be myself, and played a huge part in who I am today.

My hope is to create that space for you, a space filled with coffee and creativity; a space to play games with friends and find your favorite books; a space to share your talents and ideas; and most importantly –

a space to be authentically you.

Ren – of Ren’s Coffeehouse and Bookstore (Coming soon to Blackwood NJ)

The remodeling process is already underway to outfit both the coffee shop side as well as the bookstore side.

Earlier this month Ren posted a clip on her Facebook page that shows the before and after progress of the interior build out on the coffee house side which has already turned this space into a very comfortable and relaxing room featuring a northern mountain décor.

Murals on the wall feature Evergreen trees snow covered mountains make corn soothing slate blue walls.

She has also been posting photos of the remodeling progress and shared some with me to post along with this article.

So yes the coffeehouse and the bookstore are the two main features, but again Ren is looking to make this a gathering place for the local community.

Having a musician background she really looks forward to opening up her space too locals, to give them a comfortable place just take a breather from the world for a but, or maybe to allow their creativity to soar.

Not only are open mics part of her plans, but at the back of the bookstore she will have an open space area available for playing board games, small events, book club meetings and more.

As mentioned, Ren is targeting an early 2024 opening and based on her photos and social media posts, she seems to be making amazing progress. I’ll be back for the opening!

Links and Location

Ren’s Coffeehouse & Books (Coming Soon)26 N Black Horse PikeBlackwood NJ

Lovers of this bakery outlet in Camden County will be disappointed in this one.

Entenmann’s Bakery Outlet in Blackwood, NJ, located at 1488 Blackwood Clementon Rd, suddenly closed last week, according to 42Freeway.

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There wasn't much of a heads up, which is why customers were surprised to see there was a handwritten sign attached to the door that read: "Permanently Closed." There was also a sign posted with their Labor Day hours, which implies that the employees anticipated coming back after the holiday weekend - this must have been a surprise for them too.

The parent company posted a statement on their website:

"Bimbo Bakeries USA associates are currently working around the clock to stock retail grocery shelves, eliminating our ability to stock our outlet stores.

The majority of our outlet stores are closed at this time, please call the outlet store in your area to confirm if they are open before visiting."

This is coming as disappointing news to customers who have frequented this spot:

"This is absolutely terrible I was just there a couple days ago they did not seem like they were closing they had a full stock."

"Nooooo ….. I used to get my bread there."

"No, that's so sad. They had some good items and great prices."

"Yea, gonna miss this store. It would have been nice to get a heads up that it was closing."

Are you said to see this location go? If you have other recommendations for baked goods in the area, chime in!

How Many Of These Old Quaker Bridge Mall Stores Do You Remember?

The Quaker Bridge Mall has been open since 1975. There's been many changes in stores and restaurants over the years. How many of the old places do you remember?

Look Inside The Frank Sinatra House in Point Pleasant, NJ

The tourist attraction has been put on the market and could be yours for $3.3 million!

First reported at 42Freeway almost two years ago, plans for a new Zallie ShopRite at the former Blackwood-Clementon Road K-Mart building (Cherrywood Shopping Center) have been officially submitted to the Gloucester Township Planning Board. A public hearing is set for January 23^rd.

POSTPONED: The meeting did not take place in January (developer’s request). It has not been rescheduled.

Originally Zallie stated this planned Shoprite would around 75,000 square feet. Well, not only does it appear they are taking the entire K-Mart first floor of 95,000 sq ft, the project will have a small second floor of 14,000 sq ft.

The combined 112,000 sq ft makes this proposed new store… TWICE the size of the existing Laurel Hill location that it will replace! And about 40-50% larger than the new Woolwich store!

The existing Laurel Hill Shoprite which is located ¾ a mile to the East on the same roadway (at College Drive), will close once the new Zallie’s Shoprite Cherrywood is open. Effectively it’s a relocation of the Laurel Hill Shoprite into a new and much larger space.

Fun fact, today Zallie owns TWELVE ShopRite supermarkets, but Laurel Hill was the family’s first! And most will agree that with it’s smaller size, tougher parking situation and dated appearance… well not many will complain about the relocation of Laurel Hill!

The project proposal also includes other upgrades to the shopping center such as an additional stand-alone pad building to be developed closer to the Total Wine store.

Each Shoprite is owned by independent owner/operators and both the existing Laurel Hill and proposed Cherrywood locations are owned by Zallie… who have their headquarters right in Gloucester Township.

Zallie recently opened a brand new Shoprite in Woolwich Center Square, and completely rebuilt and expanded their Glassboro location. Both stores are very attractive modern designs, and offer all of the latest features that shoppers expect from a large supermarket today.

I have not seen the full plans yet for the new Shoprite Cherrywood, but last year I had a chance to meet with Zallie’s owner David Zallie who confirmed that the upcoming Cherrywood location will feature a similar design and feature-set that they have in the new Woolwich and Glassboro locations.

Renderings of the proposed Cherrywood location shows that it will have similar exterior design elements as the Woolwich location.

While Zallie is the owner of the proposed Shoprite Cherrywood, they do not own the shopping center, and will be a tenant in the space.

The property is owned by Benderson Development, a Florida based developer with over 800 properties and 45 million square feet of space.

With Benderson as the property owner, they are actually the entity formerly applying for the property modifications, but I imagine the Zallie Shoprite team will be a big part of the Planning Board presentation.

With considerable construction set to take place for the Shoprite, Benderson is taking the opportunity to make additional improvements to the center.

A new 7,500 square foot retail/restaurant pad building is proposed within the center (front parking area likely) and a twenty-four foot (24’) tall screening and sound attenuation wall will be developed behind the proposed Shop Rite.

Beyond that it is stated that other various improvements will take place within the shopping center, which I assume to mean facade design upgrades.

Zallie Shoprite Cherrywood – New Modern Design

As mentioned, with the Planning Meeting just announced, as I write this at 9:00 AM I have not seen the blueprints or site plans for the project yet, but I hope to see them later today.

That being said a few things we do know… As mentioned Zallie has published a front store rendering of the proposed Cherrywood ShopRite, and we have had a chance to visit and shop at the new Woolwich and Glassboro Zallie Shoprites. Both stores feature the larger, modern and more feature-filled shopping experience, and I was previously told that we can expect a similar shopping experience from Shoprite Cherrywood.

Honestly if you’ve visited the all new Woolwich New Jersey ShopRite (or seen the images)… the front facade of the proposed Cherrywood location features very similar exterior design elements.

For proposed Blackwoodd-Clementon Shoprite they are taking over a former Kmart building, and we are all familiar with the Kmart design style… which really isn’t a “style” at all!

K-Mart store exteriors were basic rectangles with cinder block walls painted neutral colors on the outside, and a single basic center entrance.

So while it is an existing building, for Zallie it’s really a blank canvas for them to create their signature design on. The flat walls will be replaced by more interesting and eye appealing segments of varying depths and heights. Windows will be added at various locations.

The store appears to feature two exterior foyer areas.

Based on my visits to Woolwich and looking at the Zallie Cherrywood rendering, it appears that the store’s main customer entrance will be on the left side of the building and is a fully enclosed and large foyer entrance.

Over more to the right of the building will be a large covered drive-up area, which will support customer order pickup and delivery services. Zallie states they will support a full “Order. Pickup. Deliver.” department.

In April of last year the fully remodeled Glassboro Zallie ShopRite opened, and a month later the completely new construction Woolwich store opened. Of course 42Freeway covered both of those openings!

You can read a lot more detailed commentary along with plenty of photos in those individual articles, but I’ll share some of the highlights here… as the Cherrywood location is expected to offer similar design aspects and features.

For the Woolwich store that opened last year, I described it as a ”store within a store”.

Yes the largest portion of the supermarket features well lit traditional rows of shelving for classic supermarket items such as canned goods, pasta, paper goods, snacks and such. And they offer a very large number of refrigerator and freezer units.

And the flooring and wall decor are many steps above the plain white design some of us remember from going to Pathmark 40 years ago!

But the real Wow factor of the upgraded Zallie supermarkets is the open market section of the store, which you walk into immediately from the main entrance.

It offers most of the fresh products and prepare foods in one open floor plan space, where every aspect has been upgraded to a premium level… offering an attractive shopping experience, offering plenty of space to move around in, while being very functional.

Seriously the moment you walk into the front entrance at Woolwich or Glassboro, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported into another place… a shopping experience you’d expect to only find in California or Seattle!

The fresh food area is significant sized with bright lighting to highlight the fresh produce and fruits. The upgraded ShopRites featuring full bakeries, deli, a large array of prepared foods, a big cheese department… and fresh sushi which is made right there in the store by trained sushi chefs!

Both Woolwich and Glassboro feature an in-store customer seating area, with Woolwich having a larger space allocated to the seating as well as an outdoor dining area with fire pits! I’m not certain at this time if Cherrywood will have an outdoor dining area. (until I see the plans!)

Well I just wanted to give a teaser of what we can expect from the upcoming Zallie ShopRite Cherrywood location.

I hope to be able to update this article later today after I’ve had a chance to review the proposed plans.

Links and Locations

Zallie Shoprite Cherrywood (Proposed)1468 Blackwood Clementon RdClementon, NJ 08021

Gloucester Township Planning Board HearingJanuary 23, 2024, at 7:00 p.mCouncil Room of the Gloucester Township Municipal Complex1261 Chews Landing-Clementon RdLaurel Springs, New Jersey 08021

Opening Day Coverage of Glassboro and Woolwich:

Camden County Remembrance and Hope Memorial Vigil Thursday, August 31, 2023 7:30 PM – Rain or Shine Timber Creek Park, 236 Taylor Avenue & Chews Landing Road, Blackwood

The Camden County Board of Commissioners and the Addiction Awareness Task Force invite family and friends to remember the loved ones we lost and spread the message of hope to those still fighting the disease of addiction. Help raise awareness of the crisis we’re facing within our community.

Remembrance & Hope Vigil Program

Invocation

Presentation of Colors

National Anthem

Pledge of Allegiance

Welcome Remarks Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. Liaison, Addiction Awareness Task Force

Messages of Hope

Breaking the Stigma Congressman Donald Norcross

Combating the Heroin Epidemic Prosecutor Grace MacAulay

Keynote Speaker Zac Clark, Co-Founder of Release Recovery, Appeared on 2020 Bachelorette

Remembering Those We Lost

A Brother’s Loss to Addiction John Tomlinson

Live Acoustic Performance

Video and Musical Presentation Monologue

Closing Remarks

Guests are welcome to walk around the Memorial

Check back regularly for program updates

Zac Clark is a mental health, wellness, and addiction recovery advocate, motivational speaker, philanthropist, and business executive who founded and serves as CEO of Release Recovery: a full- service substance use disorder and mental health organization – with multiple facilities throughout New York –that offers transitional living, interventions, case management, and other essential family and recovery support services.

Zac is also the founding board member of Release Recovery Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to remove financial barriers to treatment for those who can’t afford it – specifically those in underserved communities through DEI, LGBTQIA+, and women’s scholarships. The foundation also works to build community to break the stigma around addiction and mental health.

Zac also serves on the board of trustees of Caron Treatment Centers, an internationally renowned organization dedicated to addiction and behavioral healthcare and treatment – and where Zac began his own recovery journey 12 years ago. In 2020, Zac came to widespread acclaim by openly addressing his addiction and recovery on ABC’s “The Bachelorette.” He uses his large platform to spread hope and raise awareness – especially among young people – about the crucial mental health and addiction issues that plague our country today.

Zac has partnered with global brands, including Reebok, Rhone, and Poland Spring. He grew up in Haddonfield, NJ, is a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan and sneakerhead, played college baseball, and has seen his favorite band Pearl Jam play more than 30 times. He’s finished 12 marathons, as well as completed the coveted Goggins Challenge – raising nearly two million dollars in the process on behalf of Release Recovery Foundation and Caron Foundation. He lives in New York City.

John Tomlinson is a Cherry Hill resident and a father of five whose story is all too common throughout our community. John tragically lost his brother, Joey, to an overdose at a house party in 2015 where party goers left his brother in the bushes before calling an ambulance for help. John will be sharing his family’s story of loss and the ripple effect it has had on all of them at this year’s vigil.

A new Take 5 oil service facility was approved last year for Lindenwold, and it appears that construction has started at the property which sits at wedge-shaped lot at the intersection of Laurel Rd and Blackwood-Clementon Road.

A new Rita’s Water Ice location recently opened directly next to the Take 5 property.

Take 5 Oil Lindenwold facility will feature a 1,300 square foot oil service building containing 2 service bays.

Take 5 is a chain of car washes and oil change facilities (operating separately), with the closest Take 5 Oil Change location being in Lawnside.

They offer a stay in your car oil change process, which only takes 10 minutes to complete.

As part of the service model they also offer air filters and wiper blades for your car. All aspects of the oil change business that we’re familiar with!

Take 5 Oil Change – Blackwood Clementon Road Lindenwold

As mentioned, the approved location for Take 5 oil change facility is on that corner piece of property at the intersection of Blackwood-Clementon Rd. at Laurel Rd.

While the oil change facility will sit directly at the corner (at the traffic light intersection), immediately behind it is the new Rita’s Water Ice which was developed in a former bank building (and dry cleaner).

Take 5 Lindenwold will not have any direct driveway access into the larger shopping center, but will have two entrances from the roadways, one each from Laurel Rd. and Blackwood-Clementon Rd.

The site plan presented to the Camden County planning board shows the building will be centered in the property with parking and access lanes towards the back, the side closest to the Rita’s Water Ice property is located.

Take 5 shows 9 parking spaces (one handicapped) which I assume would mostly be for employees, as customers in these types of oil change facilities typically queue in line while sitting in their cars.

Take 5 – South Jersey Growth

Well I haven’t been keeping up with all of the Take 5 actions I do know the following:

in Gloucester Township (also on Blackwood-Clementon Road) they were denied for a full car wash on the land behind the United Check Cashing building.

Earlier this year, Maple Shade and Cherry Hill were both approved for the redesign of existing car washes into a more modern and updated Take 5 facility.

A brand new Take 5 car wash facility were approved for Voorhees and Delran.

And a new car wash facility was approved for Brooklawn and they are also looking to build a separate oil change facility… at the corner property of Route 130 and Browning Road but I haven’t seen if that was approved or not.

Links and Locations

Take 5 Oil Change – Lindenwold829 Blackwood-Clementon RoadLindenwold, New Jersey 08081

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