Somerset County Stores Prepare for Black Friday

Early openings, deals widespread throughout the county.

With the official start of the holiday season looming, thousands of shoppers across New Jersey will be waking up before dawn to get their hands on some great Black Friday deals. Here in Somerset County, there is no shortage of deals to be had on Friday as holiday shopping gets underway. For those looking to visit the Bridgewater Commons on Friday, shoppers will find several of the mall’s department stores opening early. According to a spokesperson for Macy’s, many of its locations state-wide will be opening at midnight Friday, including the location in the Bridgewater Commons. Highlighted Black Friday deals at Macy’s include 50 percent off all Sharper Image iPod and iPhone chargers, 40 percent off of select regular price coffee makers, tea…

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Area Holiday Hiring Appears Limited

Economy has taken its toll on seasonal jobs, according to many local business owners.

With high unemployment rates and economic turmoil dominating news headlines, it is no secret that jobs have been hard to come by for the unemployed. For those looking to earn some extra cash in retail over the holidays, the outlook does not look much more promising than it has for the rest of the year throughout Somerset County. At a time of the year when some businesses would normally be looking to bring in employees to keep up with customer demand, many are not generating enough business to warrant paying for extra employee hours. One such case is Big Bang Music Shop. Located in Hillsborough, the musical instrument retailer has not yet seen a spike in holiday-related business, said manager Pete Westervelt. “Our level of business hasn’t …

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Somerset Businesses Upbeat on Economic Outlook

Business owners and retailers are seeing signs of economic optimism.

As the economy struggles to gain traction for a third straight year, local businesses and retailers remain optimistic that they have seen the worst of a dire economic state. “I would describe the situation as mildly optimistic,” said Mike Kerwin, executive director of the Somerset County Business Partnership of the economic picture. “(This holiday season) I think we will see a greater willingness to defy the news compared to the last couple years.” Kerwin is an employee of SSP Architectural Group of Somerville, the longest-operating architectural firm in New Jersey. Kerwin keeps an eye on the business partnership’s business base, he is particularly in tune with industries associated with his own. “While some industries are struggling, in …

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Great Escape

Don't Want to Cook This Thanksgiving? We've Got You Covered!

Here's some places to take your family for full Thanksgiving feasts.

Your teens are holding a car wash at the high school Saturday. The grandparents volunteered to take the younger children to a movie Sunday afternoon. Your tweens take tap on Wednesday evening. It’s your time. Take it. Each week, we’ll tell you about one great idea to give you a much deserved break, and make your life a little easier, maybe a whole lot easier. This week, instead of giving you an escape from the everyday—because with the holidays approaching, lots of things are not the same everyday—we decided to give you an escape from the one activity we all do a lot of at Thanksgiving time: the cooking. We have compiled information about several local restaurants and their plans for full Thanksgiving feasts on Nov. 24. Don't feel like …

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Thanksgiving Feasts, Packed at Halloween Time

Auten Road Intermediate School students spent Halloween packing care packs for Thanksgiving.

Halloween costumes may have been the desired garb for Auten Road Intermediate students several weeks ago, but Thanksgiving dinner was their goal. That’s because the sixth graders in Karen Hoffman’s writing classes were packing “feasts in a bag” for a platoon of Marines living without water or electricity in Afghanistan. “I am thrilled to see a growing sense of patriotism and a sense of pride in being an American,” Hoffman said. “The students are learning that we have a responsibility to those who are keeping us safe and sacrificing many things so that we can live the lives we currently enjoy.” Hoffman began the project four years ago, selecting a different platoon from www. Adoptaplatoon.org each year. This year, the students began writing…

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With Holidays Approaching, Food Pantry Sees Minimal Stress

Stocks are a little low, but Social Services officials expect to see more donations as the holidays approach.

Despite a year fraught with natural disasters and houses destroyed by flood waters, Hillsborough’s Social Services Department has not seen any increase in families using its services. “Basically, the big increase we saw was people coming in for water right after Irene,” Tamas Ormosi, Social Services director, said. “There hasn’t been a big uptick in people coming in. There’s no big spike or anything like that.” “A lot of people (from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee) were handled by FEMA,” he added. The Social Services Department offers services including affordable senior housing, a senior citizens wellness program, a senior citizens transportation program, a fix-it program for those ages 60 and older, holiday food and gift …

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Turkeys to be Collected at Local Sites

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey is collecting the food for those in need.

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey is hosting a turkey drive at several locations in Somerset County, collecting frozen turkeys and non-perishable items to give to those in need. Volunteers will be at four locations Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations will be collected at the Basilone parking lot of the Bridgewater-Raritan High School; the Kings Supermarket on Route 206 in Bedminster; the ShopRite on Elizabeth Avenue in Somerset; and Ridge High School on Finley Avenue in Basking Ridge. The turkeys and other items donated will be used by the FoodBank to provide a Thanksgiving dinner and other holiday meals for those who need it during and after the holidays. “Our partner agencies have reported a rise in need of 40 percent in the past …

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