Popular downtown Metuchen store closes partly due to lack of foot traffic

Posted by author January 23, 2025 Shopping

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METUCHEN – After four years in business, a beloved Main Street gift shop has closed its doors partly due to lack of foot traffic, although it will begin selling merchandise online.

Papillon & Company at 418 Main St. was a home decor and gift shop that offered items like soaps, diffusers, scarfs, jewelry, art, pottery, mugs, totes, greeting cards and clothing like a popular Metuchen sweatshirt. An upstairs meeting space was used to host events like yoga classes and film screenings.

Owner Edna Epelu said Metuchen is a wonderful town that supports community events, but it doesn’t have the kind of traffic that can sustain multiple retail stores. Plus, she faced increasing competition from online retailers.

Customers can continue shopping with Papillon & Company online at papillonnova.com.

Epelu hasn’t ruled out reopening Papillon & Company in a smaller space in Metuchen or in another town.

Papillon & Company had 2,500 square feet of retail space in Metuchen, which is large for the borough’s shopping scene.

The space may already have a new renter as Main Street locations, the heart of the borough’s downtown, have short vacancy stints.

In 2023, Metuchen was recognized as a Great American Main Street of the Year, and the borough was also recently recognized by financial publication Money as one of the best places to live.

“It was a great business for the community,” Epelu said.

Epelu, a native of Uganda, opened Papillon & Company in 2020.

“When I was looking for a place to open a shop, this was one of the towns on my list,” she said in a 2023 MyCentralJersey.com story. “It ended up having a perfect location when I was looking. I love small little towns. Metuchen is lovely.”

“We’re extraordinarily proud of Edna and all that she contributed to our Metuchen community over the years and we wish her well,” Mayor Jonathan Busch said.

Epelu has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Makerere University in Uganda, an MBA and Master of Science from separate universities in Scotland, and a master’s degree in communication management from Simmons University in Boston.

In 2023, she was honored by State Sen. Patrick Diegnan, D-18th District, as part of a state Senate dual celebration of Black History Month and National Entrepreneurship Week.

“What I always want when somebody comes into the shop, is for them to feel that time has stopped for a little while, in a way like they are experiencing that feeling of being in a museum with beautiful paintings,” Epelu previously said in a 2023 MyCentralJersey.com story.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.