Grand Opening May 19
Community Co-op and Marketplace Will Be One of Downtown Hammonton’s Hottest Artistic Shopping and Gathering Places
New Jersey’s Heartland is about to unveil its newest and hottest shopping and entertainment venue when entrepreneur April Schenk stages the Grand Opening of The mART on May 19, 2016, in Hammonton, NJ. Located at 18 Center Avenue in the heart of Hammonton’s revitalized Downtown, the mART is a community co-op and marketplace that will house art, fashion, music and yoga.
Schenk has been in business in Hammonton for more than 20 years. Her eco-friendly lifestyle company, April Schenk, LLC, has evolved to encompass everything from fashion, jewelry, refurbished home furnishings, teaching workshops and styling services. Schenk will soon be expanding into the food industry when she releases her popular “SASS Sauce” for public purchase at a number of local restaurants and stores.
“The mART is a collection of artistic vendors who will be offering handmade and vintage/upcycled goods, as well as workshops and how to classes,” said Schenk, who specializes in couture jewelry and accessories with her one-of-a kind, handcrafted, earth friendly designs. “Our mission is to celebrate and encourage the creation, buying and selling of art in all forms and mediums. We hope to become a center for the community and a destination for both artists and art lovers.”
A unique stage highlights The mART and will integrate live music into the shopping experience. Thursdays will be DJ and Open Mike Night, with Jam Sessions on Friday nights. Fashion shows, movies and a host of other exciting events are additionally in the works for the stage area. Plans for a Yoga Bar and outdoor market are expected to be announced in the coming months.
Want To Sell at The mART?
The mART is currently looking for vendors, musicians, yoga instructors, artists, and entrepreneurs who are interested in helping fully bring the vision to life. To rent a vendor space or for more information, please contact Operations Manager Toni Peditto at toni@aprilschenk.com.
About April Schenk
Schenk has been in business in Hammonton for more than 20 years. Her eco-friendly lifestyle company, April Schenk, LLC, has evolved to encompass everything from fashion, jewelry, refurbished home furnishings, teaching workshops and styling services. Schenk will soon be expanding into the food industry when she releases her popular “SASS Sauce” for public purchase at a number of local restaurants and stores.
About New Jersey's Heartland
New Jersey’s Heartland is part of the Pascale Sykes Foundation’s South Jersey Economic Initiative, which invests in businesses in Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester, and western Atlantic Counties, the four-county region that comprises “New Jersey’s Heartland” and is a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family. For more information or to learn everything New Jersey’s Heartland has to offer, visit NJHeartland.org.
About the Pascale Foundation
The Pascale Sykes Foundation was founded in 1992 on the belief that strong families are basic to adult and child well-being. Individuals live within families; what happens to each family member affects the family; and what happens to the family affects each individual within the family. Families succeed when all family members work together to address issues before they become problems and to work toward common goals.
The Foundation’s direct investment in Salem, Cumberland, Gloucester, and western Atlantic Countries to date totals more than $29 million and will have surpassed $60 million when the Foundation closes its doors in 2023.
To date, this investment includes $23 million in support for ten collaborative social service programs and five comprehensive transportation initiatives, as well as more than $6 million in seed funding for the Foundation’s South Jersey Economic Initiative and the creation of the “New Jersey’s Heartland” marketing program. The seed funding for the Economic Initiative has been leveraged by New Jersey Community Capital, the economic development program investment manager, to already total more than $13 million.
The social service collaborations include:
• Western Atlantic Parent Family Support Network
• Connected Families Collaborative
• Connecting Families to Communities
• Stronger Families
• Unidos para la Familia (United for the Family)
• Child Connection Center
• Family Strengthening Network
• Heart of Gloucester County
• South Jersey First Star Collaborative
• Family Enrichment Network
The Transportation Plus initiatives include:
• English Creek Tilton Road Community Shuttle and Routes 54-40 Community Shuttle in
Atlantic County
• Greater Bridgeton Area Transit
• Pureland East-West Community Shuttle of Gloucester County
• Salem County Collaborative Shuttle
The Foundation’s South Jersey office is located at 80 South Main Road, Suite 113, Vineland, NJ 08360. The Foundation may be reached at 856-213-5068 (p), 856-457-7098 (f), or at www.pascalesykesfoundation.org.