AISHA GLOVER: We’re celebrating the opening of The Pillars at 33 Washington.
The Pillars is Newark’s latest retail hub. It’s right across the street from our global headquarters. We have three retailers that we’re introducing to our neighbors, visitors, students, employees and everyone.
It was really rooted in how do we create more retail, more amenities, more opportunities, more experiences for people who live, work and play here.
SHAWNA CHRISTIAN: We are a plant nursery, as well as home decor accents from around the world. It could be anywhere from kitchen items to macromes, to paintings, to prints, to candles. Everything in here is picked. It’s all curated. We don’t have things in the shop because they sell well. We have them because we love them.
DAWN FITCH: Pooka is actually 25 years old. We’ve had some smaller boutiques and then we landed on Halsey Street in Newark. But then the pandemic hit. So we’ve basically been online for the last couple of years. And then we got a call from Audible about this wonderful project they were doing here at the Pillars. This feels like a real flagship store. This is a dream for an entrepreneur.
Besides our wonderful products, what we’re doing here that we’ve never done before is a fragrance blending bar. You’re able to come in, choose fragrances based on your mood or what you really like, and start blending your own perfumes. And we think scent is a big part of everyone’s story.
AISHA GLOVER: We really look for retail that already has a bit of a following and that has a really good combination of online presence, in-store product, and experiences.
DAWN FITCH: You can spend the day at The Pillars and have an experience with each of these businesses. If you go to Tansy, you’re going to be making terrariums or painting. If you come here, you’re creating scent. If you go to HealHaus, you’re definitely going to take a yoga class, Tai Chi, or meditation.
SHAWNA CHRISTIAN: Newark surprises me every day. I have never seen a place with so many creatives, so many small businesses that are supported by the city.
AISHA GLOVER: Come out, shop, patronize the retailers.
The Pillars is Newark’s newest retail hub.
33 Washington Street in Downtown Newark is now home to The Pillars, a 15,000 square foot experiential retail hub in the heart of the Tubman Square Park area of Downtown Newark. The Pillars launched with three wellness-inspired retail tenants, Pooka Pure and Simple, Tansy, and Healhaus.
The Pillars, an initiative by Audible to invest and promote small businesses in their headquarters city, will welcome a food and beverage tenant, feature Audible listening booths, and a shared court area. Most prominently, the site hosts three Black and women-owned retail tenants: Pooka Pure and Simple, Tansy, and Healhaus, spanning across home goods, beauty and wellness sectors, supported by the Audible Business Attraction Program.
“These businesses offer more than just a retail destination. They create a space that embodies the entrepreneurial spirit that makes Newark special.”
Bob Carrigan, CEO, Audible
Meet the three founding retail tenants at The Pillars:
TANSY 🌱 @shoptansynj
Woman-owned home goods & plant store offering socially conscious décor and creative workshops. Go meet founder Shawna Christian.
POOKA Pure and Simple 🛁 @pookalita
A clean beauty haven featuring the Bloom Bar, where you can craft your own signature scent. Go meet founder Dawn Fitch.
HEALHAUS 🧘♀️ @healhaus
Community wellness destination with daily yoga, meditation classes, and a nourishing café (opening soon). Go meet founder Darian Hall.
Audible’s neighborhood revitalization strategy included its 2019 restoration of the historic Innovation Cathedral, the Newark Artist Collaboration (NAC), which commissions public art from local artists, its support in reimagining Newark’s Harriet Tubman Square, which included an audio installation “Monumental,” and its ongoing calendar of public events and programming. You can view the behind the scenes story of the NAC here and The Harriet Tubman Monument’s “Monumental” audio installation here.
“The corporations that have bought into what we are trying to do in the city of Newark have decided to work collaboratively, to lift our city up economically, socially, mentally, spiritually.”
Ras J. Baraka, Mayor, City of Newark, NJ
According to Audible, The Pillars echoes the recent nationwide momentum around experiential brick-and-mortar retail, with interactive offerings that meet growing customer demand for unique, tangible experiences that can’t be replicated online. Audible’s latest investment shows its longterm commitment to Newark’s revitalization, and to the “Arts and Education District” in particular. The area includes over 150 businesses (many independent) and already attracts over 70,000 monthly visitors, highlighting its growing appeal as a destination for dining, shopping and cultural experiences.
Follow The Pillars on Facebook and Instagram @thepillarsnwk
#ThePillarsNwk
#Pooka #Tansy #HealHaus
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