Union Republic, 340 Third St., one of the newest additions to the Village neighborhood, is a little wonder that owners Noah Sexton and chef Greg Torrech, 33 and 35, say has multiple functions.

“Union Republic is a grocer, it’s a cafe, it’s a playground for food,” said Sexton. “We are able to incorporate the work of so many people who are passionate about their individual crafts under one roof. I don’t know of any other establishment where else can you can eat Sun Noodles and have La Colombe Torrefaction espresso.”

Their new business venture, which opened November 2013, came more than a year after the short-lived glory of their previous restaurant, Modern American Eatery in Bergen-Lafayette, which opened in April 2012 to great response only to close in September that year due to business disputes. This time, while the duo is maintaining their passion and commitment for service, they’re trying a few new things.

“Our first inspiration for Union Republic came after meeting David Barry and Michael Darata at what was at the time a unfinished space on the ground floor of 340 Third Street. They explained their vision for URL (Urban Ready Living) which was nearing completion directly above the space,” said Sexton, noting that Torrech actually lives in URL above the restaurant.

“We were a little intimidated, this was the big leagues and we knew we needed to hit it out of the ball-park,” continued Sexton. “From an aesthetic standpoint we wanted the restaurant to be modern yet inviting and the food needed to be relatable while pushing and testing some limits.”

The result is an American restaurant that incorporates various dishes, including a full line of specialty ramen dishes from “A Hen Full,” which has soft egg, chicken meatballs, dashi and shoyu broth, to “Nose to Tail,” which has pork heart, belly and tonkatsu broth. They even have a “Yes Ve-gan!” dish with rice noodles and market vegetables.

“We are at the end of the day an American restaurant but what defines that changes as we experience new and different things, we must never become stagnant,” said Sexton.

Working with neighborhood businesses and residents is also important to them, he adds.

Torrech says the best part about living in the Village is “the feeling of the great changes that are happening while the area maintains local independent businesses. With all of the development and changes taking place its great to still have an old-school baker just across the street!”

That bakery, Pecoraro’s, is just one of the local small businesses Union Republic helps support, said Sexton.

“Our business goal is to continue to provide a gathering place for each community we serve and to support local businesses wherever possible, whether it’s baguettes we get from Pecoraro’s across the street, our bagels from Wonder Bagel, our green wall (which) would not have happened without George from Bouquets and Baskets–and without Mezbah’s local lamb, there would be a rib shaped hole in our…ribs,” he said.

“What we like most about doing business in the Village is hands down the people and the daily interactions with guests and other business owners. There is a true sense of community here and people look out for one another,” said Sexton. “It’s a great place to be and we are so excited to be part of it.”

Union Republic is located at 340 Third St. For more information, visit UnionRepublic.com or call 201-279-5094.

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Village Business Spotlight: For over 100 years, small businesses have played a vital role in shaping the Village. The Village Neighborhood Association is committed to bringing awareness and support to those businesses that embrace the long-standing values and enduring community spirit of our neighborhood.

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Photography by Mike McNamara
www.photobymac.com

Husband and wife Lou and Karen Galli — the owners of new shop Pig and Pepper, located at 277 Newark Ave. in the Village neighborhood — love living in Jersey City, and love to work and shop in it, too. Lou, 42, and Karen, 39, were tired of always having to trek out into New York City or elsewhere to find high-quality home goods, clothing, and other items. Hailing from entrepreneurial families and having previously owned their own businesses (Lou owned a DVD authoring company and Karen owns local consulting firm One Leadership Group), the couple knew what they had to do.

“We’ve always been explorers, so we found ourselves saying over and over again, ‘Jersey City needs a shop that sells….’ And that’s when we realized we were already planning our own little shop,” says Karen. “We’ve always been drawn to the idea that you create the life you want. We knew we wanted to not just live in Jersey City, but work here too.” Pig and Pepper — which took its name from the curious, whimsical tales of “Alice in Wonderland” — offers an array of goods including solar chargers for electronic devices, ceramic vases, pitchers, bowls, mugs, funky utensils, organic soaps, clothing, accessories, and toys.

Standout items include Threads 4 Thought organic clothing; Cubebot wooden toys that can be put into various poses or folded into a cube; and Sprout watches, a biodegradable and bio-based line of tickers that have become some of Lou’s favorites. “The Sprout watches have convinced him, once a decades-long ‘No-Watch-Wearing Man’ to start wearing watches,” says Karen. Karen’s most fond of their selection of used clothing.

“We have a new shipment every week, so there’s a fun, surprise element,” she says. “The price point is really affordable to encourage people to recycle clothing and to participate in sustainable living…We hope to melt the stigma about used clothes being cheap or the opposite, which is that the deals are used Madison Avenue brands.” The Gallis also want to use their store to build up the Village and Jersey City as a whole.

For example, Karen says they hope to accept clothing donations and sell a portion of those sales to a local children’s charity. Currently, they are partnered with PS5 and are donating 5% of all used clothing sales to the school. They are also accepting point of purchase donations of $1 increments that will also go to the school.

While the Gallis live in the Van Vorst Park neighborhood, they chose to open in the Village to give its residents a nice place to shop, Karen says. “Everyone who’s come into the store has been incredibly nice, welcoming and proud of our community,” she says. “I love that on my way to work, I’ll run into two or three people and have a friendly ‘Good morning!’ exchange. It’s an exciting time to be in the Village; we’re excited to see the neighborhood continue to develop!”

Pig and Pepper is located at 277 Newark Ave. For more information, call (201) 898-0252 or visit their website PigandPepperJC.com.

[blockquote width=’90’]

Village Business Spotlight: For over 100 years, small businesses have played a vital role in shaping the Village. The Village Neighborhood Association is committed to bringing awareness and support to those businesses that embrace the long-standing values and enduring community spirit of our neighborhood.

[/blockquote]

Photography by Mike McNamara
www.photobymac.com