“Norwescap bought a restaurant!?” – well, sort of! Read on for details about our latest exciting investment in the Phillipsburg community.
With Phillipsburg being identified as the 32nd most-distressed municipality in New Jersey and ranking as #1 in Warren County according to the Department of Community Affairs, the South Main Street corridor has been a focus of Norwescap’s Community Development efforts for many years; and we continue to working with local residents, community organizations and businesses in building up this area as a vibrant and thriving community.
‘Sullivan’s on the Main’ has been a family restaurant and hub of community in Phillipsburg for 22 years, with its home for the last 8 years located at 371 S. Main Street. When the Sullivan family made a decision to sell the property, they approached Norwescap with the hope that we would be able to utilize the space to continue and expand our service to Phillipsburg and its residents. Thanks to a grant from New Jersey DCA, we were able to make the investment to purchase the property with a goal of sparking new investment, economic and small business development opportunities while also expanding our support services for individuals and families. Our intention for the space is to honor the previous owner’s legacy by ensuring that the building continues to be a hub of the community.
“Sullivan’s was our life for 22 years, and we spent the last eight years in this wonderful location. We did and gave what we could to the community. We loved what we did. And we are so thankful that Norwescap is now stepping in to ensure the building remains a place that supports the community and brings people together.” - Mack Sullivan, previous owner of Sullivan’s on the Main
We are thankful to Mack and his family for entrusting us with the Sullivan’s legacy, as we work towards our vision of the location being utilized in diverse ways, including:
- Establishing a “kitchen incubator” model to support entrepreneurship and the growth of small businesses
- Expanding our programs that support community members’ needs and and help them build their financial stability, career pathways, and future opportunities;
- Attracting community investment and facilitating community partnerships
Norwescap would like to express our gratitude to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs for awarding us a grant that allowed us to purchase this landmark property, situated along the edge of Shappell Park where Norwescap has hosted many community clean-ups, volunteer projects and events such as Pork Roll Palooza, and coincidentally located across the street from Norwescap’s original headquarters. We have started mapping our plans for renovations and are looking forward to sharing several exciting announcements over the next year of 2023 regarding this beautiful cornerstone of the Phillipsburg community.
Building community is central to our mission, and our investment in this property provides an exciting opportunity to expand our work while preserving an important hub of community right in the heart of our downtown. And while we did play around with the name ‘NorwesCafe’…we are not going into the restaurant business in the traditional sense anytime soon – but hopefully you will find the new developments more invigorating than a double espresso! Stay tuned for more updates.
- If you are interested in being a larger part of our mission and our community development work in Phillipsburg and beyond, please visit our Homepage and click “I Want to Help” to learn how you can get involved!
- Stay informed by signing up for our Norwescap News e-newsletter
- To learn more about this project, and various others in the Phillipsburg area, please explore our Community Development page to learn more about the Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP) and Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program.