06/23/2022
Dear friends: our landlord has plans for our building that don’t include Bohemian Raspberry, and will not renew our lease. It is with great disappointment that I announce, after nearly ten years, we will close our doors by August 1st. We persevered through a pandemic but have no recourse for someone else’s actions.
Our mission from our opening day was to be a positive presence in the community, and provide a comfortable, safe space where people arrive with a smile of anticipation, and leave with an even bigger grin. We hope we have lived up to that. The shop opened days before Hurricane Sandy bore down on NJ, leaving the community decimated. As luck would have it, our opening day flags and electric service survived the storm. Boraz became a “charging station” in more ways than we could have ever imagined. Friendships that were forged that week have endured to this day.
We will be forever grateful to our loyal customers, who hung in with us through almost two years of Covid restrictions, and frustrating curbside service during the coldest of days (nobody makes it the way you like it better than you!). It has been reaffirming to see customers back in the shop these past months, making their own bowls again. Life was getting back to “normal.”
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the employees throughout the years who have made the shop a pleasant experience for kids of all ages, and have taken pride in being part of boraz. I have watched many of you grow up behind the counter, most of you, this having been your first job.
In closing, I would like to sincerely thank all the families, the fine arts departments at the schools, the houses of worship, Girl Scouts of Westfield, and anyone who hung around boraz, and lent an ear, or gave an ear.
I will always be grateful for your support.
Instead of good bye, I’ll just say, I’ll see you later.
Barry G
