Some Very Cool and Interesting Products R “Made In Monmouth”

First things first, I do not like to shop. Let me rephrase that. I hate to shop.   Hate-It, Hate-It, Hate It-Hate-It.

With that said, for 90 minutes this past Saturday afternoon, I was slowly walking around the track in the MAC at Monmouth University. Rather than getting some much needed exercise, I was attending the first ever MADE IN MONMOUTH event which featured 135 vendors whose products are made right here in Monmouth County.

The event was sponsored by The Monmouth County Board Of Chosen Freeholders in partnership with Monmouth University along with several local area Chambers of Commerce in the County. I liked the layout which featured the vendors on the inner and outer portions of the track. 

There was a wide variety of art, clothing, children’s products, food, jewelry, products for your home, for your pets and much more!

For someone like myself who has a shopping IQ in the single digits, I was struck by how many products were on display that I thought would make super gifts for friends and family or would be nice presents for someone to purchase for me. To see the complete list of vendors, make sure to check out this link which shows all vendors by category as well as their websites/contact information.  http://co.monmouth.nj.us/documents/12%5CMIM_Directory_442012.pdf

Note that some of these businesses have their own retail stores, others have products that are sold at retailers, some are only sold thru the Internet/mail order and some go to market using a combination of these. Some of my favorites are:

"Monmouth County Artist" is a business which offers water colored paintings by Linne A. Grant. Her main theme is portraying older buildings with character that are located in Monmouth County. Some of her pieces of artwork include the Sandy Hook Light House, the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, Ice Boating on the Navesink and the Middletown Clown seen on Route 35. Her website is http://www.monmouthcountyartist.com/about_the_artist.htm

"K9 Confections" specializes in premium, all-natural and organic dog and cat treats that contain no added salt, sugar, artificial flavorings, fillers or preservatives. Whether its holiday or birthday treats, it’s a great way to show that special pet in your life how much you care. More information at http://k9confections.com/

"Heirloom Growth Charts" are a unique and elegant way to track and measure the height of children. (Shown in photo.) These would make a great gift to parents with newborn or small children. The company is owned by Matthew Burke and based in Red Bank. Take a second to look at the website http://www.heirloomgrowthcharts.com/

"Tracey Knits" offers custom made knitted golf club covers by Eatontown resident Tracey Rediker. Almost any cover be designed. Kids, college mascot, numbers etc. They would be a unique gift for the golfer that has everything (except these!!!) Check out her designs at  http://traceyknits.com/

"The Coastal Collections" features an exquisite collection of sepia tone photographs created by and for a lover of the sea, Monmouth County resident Susan Fairgrieve. Take a look at her website which shows beautiful photographs of coastal settings. http://www.thecoastalcollections.com/TheCoastalCollections/About_The_Artist.html

After about an hour, hunger pains were kicking in so when I saw a crowd of people around a vendor table called The Macaroon Shop, that was something my stomach told me I must investigate….and I was not disappointed. Slices of cake were being given out to all and all I can say is the chocolate cake was great. "The Macaroon Shop" is a full fledged bakery located at 107 Main Street (Rt. 71) in Avon-by-the-Sea. All bakery products including custom cakes are offered by owners Claire & Chris Morrison. Check out the photo of the Beach Cake on their website.  http://www.macaroonshop.com/index.html

Nothing goes better with great cake than great coffee and I got that great coffee from a vendor called "Booskerdoo." Co-owner James Caverley offers coffee that is made from specially purchased high quality coffee beans and is roasted on site in his retail store located in the Village Square Shopping Center at 36 Beach Road in Monmouth Beach. You can stop by for a cup of coffee and lots of goodies to eat or check out the website for wholesale information, subscription plans and to see the wide variety of coffee that can be ordered.  http://www.booskerdoo.com

Time and space do not permit me to give all of the business that were attending a mention, but as noted above, you can review a complete list at:

http://co.monmouth.nj.us/documents/12%5CMIM_Directory_442012.pdf