A Day in Bergen Point

from Bayonne Life on the Peninsula Spring | Summer 2022

by Hudson Reporter Assoc., LP

The Wellness Group of Bayonne

Packed with Local Businesses

By Tara Ryazansky

Photos courtesy of @minutesfrom manhattan and Tish Kraszyk

Bergen Point is a tiny neighborhood at the tip of Bayonne where it juts into the Kill van Kull. The little stretch of downtown shopping on Broadway might not be more than a few blocks, but it’s packed with great local businesses to visit. Join me for a day in Bergen Point. I started my morning with brunch at La Branche Bistro & Cafe. The place got its name because it’s the second restaurant of the owners of Bake n’ Brew Cafe. If you have visited Bake n’ Brew you might have noticed the tree mural that decorates the walls of the cafe. “This place is like a branch of that tree,” owner Johanna Lara explains. Here at La Branche a mural by the same artist depicts a flowering branch. Lara wowed us with delicious eggs Benedict, scallops, and arepas from her eclectic menu. “My friends would ask me, ‘What kind of cuisine will you have?’ I would say,

“I don’t know, we’re just going to serve food!’,” she laughs. “We have a Mediterranean background including France, Morocco, some regions of Egypt, Spain, Greece, then, of course, there’s the little South American corner in there. I’m from Venezuela.” The Reina Pepiada Arepas were the highlight of the meal. Arepas are gluten-free cornbread patties with a filling. This kind is stuffed with a dairy-free avocado chicken salad. Everything else was delicious too, including the Nutella crepe for dessert. After that, I went shopping at Bergen Point Boutique. Owners, Carrissa Golomb and Shez Zamrudeen showed me around the brand new space. The pair are longtime small business owners; Golomb owns Reese’s Hair Pieces in Bayonne and Zamrudeen owns the Deen Boutique. “We’ve always wanted to do something like this where other small businesses could show off their products,” Golomb says, explaining that the store sells items from 16

different vendors who will switch every three months. “You’ll always find something fresh and new here,” Zamrudeen explains. I wander around the space where you can find anything from plants from Rudo Plants & Home, who were featured on

La Branche Bistro & Cafe

our Spring-Summer 2021 cover, to beautiful activewear by Wear Love More. I was drawn to the cool prints on the high-quality matching sets, but what really impressed me was that they are made sustainably with recycled fabric. “That’s one of our Bayonne vendors,” Golomb says.

The line is designed by Bergen Point resident, Brianna Baker. Baker, who has previously designed for Donna Karan and Oscar De La Renta sleepwear and lingerie, decided to start the line because she found herself frustrated with what she saw on the market. “There’s a lot of boxes that I wanted to check,” Baker explains. “A lot of activewear bras out there only cater to an A or B cup. It’s a problem I’ve dealt with my whole life.” Then, there was the issue of sustainability. “There are so many sustainable fabrics that can be used, but the market has been slow to get to it,” Baker says. And of course, the line had to be cute. “I’m a huge prints person, but I couldn’t find any activewear prints that I like, so I started making my own.” Now I have to decide whether I get one of the animal print sets or the floral. Next, I went to HIGH- WAYS, where I love hunting for unique items. It’s fun to play thrift or pass, but it’s important to me that shopping at this organization supports our community. Manager, Nala Ortiz says, “What we sell helps us maintain the building which hosts the food pantry and other things that we do for the community like the uniform drive, the backpack drive, and holidays like the Christmas gift giveaway and Thanksgiving. People in need can come at any time and get clothes and information about resources and programs that might be beneficial for them.” Ortiz says that she’s been noticing more shoppers from the community lately. “We have been seeing a lot more younger customers and vintage shoppers come in. You can find great things like vintage clothes from ’70s. I’ve seen nice jean jackets and those corduroy bellbottoms

that don’t go out of style. You can find anything from Walmart to Burberry. You can find little treasures here.” I browsed the housewares area where I found vintage pastel Fiestaware sets. Then I took to the racks where I found one of those 90’s leather jackets that I keep seeing everywhere and a pretty rust-colored blouse. I headed back out to stop by a new store that I noticed called VJC’s Boutique. “We’re a family boutique. We have a little bit of everything; children’s clothing, women’s clothing, mommyand-me, accessories, makeup, and body products. We like to be trendy and affordable,” says Vicki Tooker who co-owns the boutique with Joy Ramos. I browse the store and find glitter hair gel. They have many colors and glow-inthe-dark options. “We make it,” Tooker says. I find some cute tutus as well. Upon closer inspection, I notice something interesting about them. “We like to say that this all started with a light-up tutu because it’s the first thing that we made,” Tooker tells me as she demonstrates how with the flip of a switch on a tiny hidden battery pack, the tutu lights up. “Everyone fell in love with them so we made more and started traveling all over Jersey to flea markets, fairs, and carnivals.” VJC previously had a much smaller retail space in Bayonne. “When we saw something was available in Bergen point we knew that we had to come here,” Tooker says. They plan to host birthday parties in the shop in collaboration with Mona Lisa Pizzeria soon. Mona Lisa has great Italian food, and if I wasn’t so full, I would’ve stopped in for a slice. “This area is blossoming and growing,” Tooker says.

So is the size of my shopping bag! I head back to my car, but I pop in to visit The Little Boho Bookshop before I leave. Owner, Sandra Dear was straightening up the store after some little visitors left. She tells me about Read Across Bayonne. “We’re having each pre-k class in the district come in for story-time. The children each get two Little Golden Books and the teachers get books to take back to their classroom just to promote reading early,” Dear explains. The bookshop has plenty of books for grown-ups as well. They even sell my personal favorite, Artist Portraits, a book of photographs by my husband, Max Ryazansky! After perusing the shelves I chat with Dear about the neighborhood. She tells me that the greengrocer, Produce Smart, recently switched owners and has been adding some exciting new products. “You have to try this ice cream,” she tells me. Since CJ’s Gourmet Italian Ice, a Bergen Point favorite, has yet to open for the season,

I don’t need much more convincing than that. I head over to Produce Smart where owner, Jon Panno shows me the Sip ’N Swirl freezer. “It’s all small batch. It’s all-natural. The dairy is sourced locally. The flavors are just absolutely amazing,” he says, adding that it’s a New Jersey brand based in Little Falls. Panno is a lifelong resident and says he thought the area needed a store like this. He previously leased it to someone else, but now that he has taken it over he’s updating the space and products. “Down here there was a need for groceries, fresh produce, and housewares. The feedback from the customers has been amazing.” There are so many more places to visit in Bergen Point, but now I have to rush home with my ice cream before it melts. You can see more of my day on Instagram at @ minutesfrommanhattan. Leave a comment and tell me which neighborhood I should visit next! — BLP