By Christina Johnson
SHREWSBURY – Cost Plus World Market, a newly opened shopping emporium on shop-studded Broad Street has been luring a large number of holiday shoppers since opening Dec. 10.
At lunchtime on Tuesday, drivers in SUVs circled the parking lot, shared with Dean’s Natural Food Market and Road Runner Sports, patiently waiting to snag a parking spot. Paper signs taped to the glass doors cautioned shoppers not to park in fire lanes or neighboring store lots. Inside, the line snaked around the checkout counters, at least 20 customers long.
“It was fun to explore, I love the way it’s set up” said Heather Otten of Colts Neck, who emerged Tuesday with $47 worth of Christmas gifts after spending 45 minutes in the store. Inside her bag were Paris-themed salt and pepper shakers, a Paladone Noki Pug in a Mug Tea infuser, a clear tea kettle with lime green accents and eclectic giftwrapping paper and bags.
Maria Manley of Rumson said she felt compelled to check out the “gifty” items. “I heard good things about the store,” she said, but ultimately she balked at the checkout. “The line was too long,” she said.
This is only the second World Market in New Jersey, after Livingston, which is part of a chain of 276 stores in 35 states. The stylish home shopping store features imported non-refrigerated gourmet foods, homewares, furniture, textiles, glassware and more in a flowing design that lures shoppers to meander and discover. Rustic, open wooden shelving and tight aisles gives a feeling of being in a small general store, but the humble aesthetic is carefully crafted. World Market, under the ownership of Bed Bath and Beyond, is meant to compete against giants like Pier One, Pottery Barn and Big Lots.
The busiest place in the Shrewsbury store, outside of the checkout line, was the food aisles. Here customers browsed Heinz salad cream, Irish digestives, Singaporean sardines, Italian peppered sausage, Polish soup mixes, German pickles, a wall of exotic sparkling beverages including coffee soda, cucumber infusions, organic popcorn and chips, Italian chocolates and more.
A few of the international items are available in local supermarkets, but grouped together they formed a smorgasbord of hard-to-find exotica that intrigued customers, who took the time to read over the international and artisanal labels.
Next door at the newly remodeled Dean’s Natural Food Market, store manager Ryan Nelson acknowledged parking issues since the store’s grand opening, but is planning to solve the problem for his customers with ten “Dean’s only” parking spaces in front of the store.
Market for unusual Christmas gifts.
He said the popularity of World Market was understandable, because it is a brand new store concept for the former space operated by Annie Sez, and because holiday shoppers are being encouraged by incredibly inviting mild December weather.
“We’re excited to have a new tenant,” said Nelson. “Right now we’re experiencing a lot of new customers, which is a good thing.”
Dean’s Market hopes to generate its own excitement in 2016. For its 20th anniversary the Shrewsbury store has a new hot food bar, and a fresh look with new lighting and interesting wallpaper depicting local maps of Shrewsbury and recognizable shore scenes. Its biggest sale of the year will be on New Year’s Day, when the store offers 20 percent off everything in the store and through Jan. 7th, 40 percent off Dean’s brand vitamins.
