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Update on Berkeley Heights’ Garden of Eden: Not Closing Sunday!

Garden of Eden NY

Garden of Eden Berkeley Heights

So, I just spoke with Shawn, a manager at Garden of Eden in Berkeley Heights.  Spoke to him for some time and he made it clear that the store hopes to remain open.  They are looking at a good number of options to improve the store and to improve foot traffic into the store in order to increase business.  They have a survey circling around Facebook and other places and, if you haven’t done so, go ahead and take the time to complete it.  I think they are taking the results very seriously and using it as a guide for where to take the store from here.  Shawn said that he thinks it’s safe to say that the store WILL NOT CLOSE ON SUNDAY as originally reported.  He didn’t have a lot of answers as to when or if it will close eventually as the situation is fluid and the actual decision is ultimately up to the owner.

If you haven’t been to Garden of Eden, you should go before it’s too late.  For one thing, we should support a business that took a risk to open in Berkeley Heights.  For another, they offer such great gourmet items.  We do not purchase the prepared hot foods, etc. mainly because if we are home, I cook.  However, I can say that the food is made using whole foods and is of a higher quality than you would normally find at a generic grocery store.

I made it a point to let Shawn know that they should seriously consider doing something special for the festival here in Berkeley Heights in the coming days.  However, regardless of whether they do that or not, if you are from the area, go in and check the place out as you stroll to or from the festival.  Everything is still discounted at 20% off, so there are deals to be had.  While you are there, if you end up liking it as much as I do, stop by and tell Shawn or whoever is managing at the time that you are local and appreciate what they are doing.

In my opinion, Garden of Eden is a great addition to Berkeley Heights and the surrounding area.  It’s local (based here and in NYC), they offer a great selection of difficult to find items, and have some quality premade food and deli items.  It would be a shame if they went away and we who live locally are forced, once again, to travel to different towns (or order on-line) to find items that are currently in our own back yard.

There’s my two cents.  Hope it helps persuade a few of you to try Garden of Eden and I certainly hope Garden of Eden listens to the many people from the area that have already expressed their support for the store.


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Garden of Eden, Berekeley Heights- Closing after 3 Months or so!

Garden of Eden, we hardly knew you. My wife and I were super excited that you opened late last spring and it seems that you are closing way, way too soon. Sadly, though, Garden of Eden in Berkeley Heights has announced that they are closing after only a few months of being open. They shutter their doors on Sunday the 12th and between now and then they are offering 20% off across the store…so go and stock up! Sad, sad, sad…not to be judgmental, but how can a business that opens not be prepared to weather the storm of opening in a new area for at least six months to a year? I just don’t really understand.


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Products Worth Mentioning: Garden of Eden, Berkeley Heights

So, obviously Garden of Eden isn’t a product.  However, it carries all sorts of them.  This gourmet grocery store opened up a couple months ago right across the street (basically) from where we live.  It’s such a great addition to the choice of local grocers.  My wife and I lived in Hoboken for a good number of years and we became familiar with Garden of Eden there.  So, when we saw the signs posted that it was coming soon, we waited excitedly until it opened.  The downside of Garden of Eden really is the price point…it’s expensive.  However, the great thing is that they carry SO many items that no one else in the area carries.  There’s a myriad of olive oil choices.  They have a large number of hard to find produce items.  They stock high quality goods and brands.  We don’t purchase the majority of our groceries at Garden of Eden due to price (and a couple other reasons) and since I cook pretty often, we have not tried their prepared foods.  However, if you are looking for a special, hard to find cheese, go there.  If you are looking for Serrano ham, they have it.  If you want high quality anchovies packed in olive oil, go there.  They have a number of choices.  They stock high quality meats in their butcher area and they have high quality produce. They also have a great bakery.  They also have probably the most robust choices of charcuterie in the area.  At any rate, it’s a great addition to the grocery store landscape in Berkeley Heights and the surrounding area.  If you live in the area and haven’t checked it out yet, it is definitely worth doing.  You never know what little goodie you’ll find there.  Enjoy!

 

Update 6/18/2014:  Garden of Eden just announced free grocery delivery for people living or working within a ten mile radius from the store providing that the order is over $50.00!  Another great reason to give Garden of Eden a go.