Chatham’s Purple Aardvark Boasts Handcrafted, Made In USA Gifts

CHATHAM, NJ — When Purple Aardvark opened its doors on Small Business Saturday five years ago, its owners Carolyn Cherry and Sandy Casey honed in on the importance of selling Made in America items.

“We went out and found local artisans for that first year,” they said. “Eventually we branched out a little more finding talent from other states as well.”

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An ongoing process that has been important to the store owners of the specialty shop on 240 Main Street, they said though this can make it harder to source the items they stock, it’s a goal they continued, without wavering, to have Made in the USA items.

“Our customers support our ideals and we are thrilled to service such an amazing community,” they told Patch.

Having to close for three months during the pandemic as a business deemed “non-essential,” Purple Aardvark survived, with Cherry and Casey concerned with how they’d make it through.

“Not sure how we were going to make rent, we did what we could to continue contact with our customers via social media,” they recalled. “Our amazing customers continued to shop with us virtually and then we did work to get our webstore up and running as well.”

Purple Aardvark has been a champion in Chatham for shopping local, often posting on their social media about it, one of their posts below:

While they thought the three-month shutdown in 2020 was their biggest obstacle, 2021 with its supply chain issues and shipping delays, has presented other challenges for the business.

“Our suppliers and artisans are having trouble sourcing materials to create their craft,” they said. “Potters are struggling to get clay, sewers can’t get interfacing needed for crayon wallets, and our wooden luminary creator is unable to get wood.”

However, Cherry and Casey say they consider themselves fortunate because “none of our stock is sitting in a cargo ship off the coast.”

“This doesn’t mean the challenges aren’t there,” they said, having to sometimes order items without seeing them first, because of the inability to go to trade shows in 2020.

“This is not the normal way we operate, but we want to be able to continue to offer a good variety of merchandise for our loyal customers,” they added.

What are some of those many offerings?

“Never the same store twice,” their website offers, with a unique and eclectic array of items, from clothing to accessories to home decor, to baby items to body and skin care and much more.

Looking for a pet gift? There are special treats, bandanas for dogs and cats, toys and more.

How about some specialty food items for a gift basket or stocking stuffer this holiday season? They have Chicken Noodle Soup mixes, Chipotle Pepper Maple Syrup, Mocktail mixers, specialty salsas, dips and even a “Winter Survival Kit” including “Hot Toddy” that comes from New Hampshire.

How about something even more local, with a “Chatham, NJ” home item? The store has some unique Chatham-specific gifts, from mugs to tote bags to coasters to luminaries to Chatham Cougar gifts. See them all here.

“We continue to get new merchandise daily, but it is more important to buy something when you see it than it ever has been before,” Cherry and Casey said. “We can’t guarantee being able to restock any specific item.”

“Shopping small and local is crucial to local economies, and we definitely appreciate it,” they said.

With the personalized services that small stores offer, Purple Aardvark is hosting a special “Kids’ Shopping Day” on Sunday, Dec. 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. They’ll help your kids to shop for the special people on their list, even with making cards and wrapping the gifts.

See all that Purple Aardvark has to offer in their store and on social media, this holiday season.

Stay updated about all of their products, events and holiday shopping hours on their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/purpleaardvarknj.

Visit their website at www.thepurpleaardvark.com.

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