Navy Blue Gifts, Moorestown, NJ
Navy Blue Gifts is a small gift shop located at 3 East Main Street, Moorestown, New Jersey. It resides in the middle of Main Street and sees a great deal of cars, joggers, and walking families going up and down Moorestown’s most busy street. The shop is owned by Melissa McGrath who said her goal was to “support the mission of the Made in the USA brand, bring items of local interest to Moorestown and surrounding communities, and to give friends a place to showcase their talent.” I believe this is a very admirable mission, and one that many Americans would support. In this day and age, where most goods are made overseas, American citizens are desperate for goods to be produced domestically, which is Navy Blue’s primary task. The owner states that over 80% of the goods in her store are Made in the USA, and will continue to maintain this for as long as the shop remains open. Just as Global Cities, Local Streets points out, stores like this, located in a small suburb of Philadelphia, not only are places for economic exchange, but they express “an equally important need for social sustainability and cultural exchange” (p. 1). Although most of the customers that go in and out Navy Blue have a similar demographic background (upper middle class whites), the store promotes a culture that all Americans can support, regardless of race, age, religion or economic status. The shop opened up on December 10, 2012. Since then, many residents of Moorestown have expressed how nice and vibrant Navy Blue is and how it has helped revamp the culture of Moorestown, New Jersey. The shop’s products are mostly gifts, with a New England influence. Not only that, Navy Blue has started classes where anyone can come and improve their craft of making floral arrangements, knitting, and decorating. Navy Blue has partnered with many artists to further promote its unique atmosphere, while also supporting local American citizens’ work by selling and promoting their merchandise.
While I was there I happened to run into a gentlemen from Los Angeles named John. I was there over Thanksgiving break, so Black Friday and Small Shop Saturday perfectly aligned while I was studying this store. These two days proved to be one of the busiest days of the year for Navy Blue. The man from Los Angeles said this was the first time he has been to Moorestown, and that he was on his way back home. However, John was walking down Main Street and saw this quaint shop and brought his family in with him. He was shocked at how unique the products were and that the items were almost all made in America, and for a reasonable price. John said “we need more stores like this out in Los Angeles”. He went on to say, “Los Angeles is a global city, our culture is very diverse. However, the American influence is not as strong as it should be, and shops like this are necessary to regain the American pride we once had.”
The shop is located near a very popular Pizza Restaurant, a local catholic grade school, its church, a bank, and a Starbucks. The street has become very lively and is now a place where many local residents come to shop, as opposed to going to the local mall. This is very important because the money being spent at Navy Blue stays locally in Moorestown. Unlike when consumers shop at malls, most of the time the money goes to national chain stores far away from the town in which it was purchased, therefore not benefiting local residents.
Despite the fact that the store tries to only sell Made in America products, and that the demographics of its shoppers are relatively consistent, this store still has global characteristics. The policy of having domestic goods is one that countries all over the globe would like to have. Selling domestically made products is a win-win for all parties involved. This strategy promotes pride in one’s country while also helping the local residents maintain jobs, while improving their economy. This is something all countries can strive for. Global Cities, Local Streets summarizes Navy Blue perfectly; “In the end, “the market” is not, and cannot be, the sole and final arbiter of local shopping streets’ survival. These are social spaces and must be supported by policy for the public good. They are also a form of culture heritage that sustains, and is sustained by, generation of city dwellers (p. 205).” Again, for this reason, local shopping streets demand support” and indeed Moorestown residents have proven they are willing to support the local shops located on Main Street due to their admirable missions, their sustaining of the cultural heritage, and the policies for the public good that they promote.
Sean McGrath ’16
