A Guide to Church Street
Church Street. Image courtesy of Jessica Koczwara
by Brooke Harrington
Ever since moving back to the Montclair area, I have been thinking of all the things I want to do. My long list of restaurants, cafes, shops, ice cream stores, and everything else in between is adding up quickly. As I was sitting on my back porch one morning, I decided that you know what - I’m just going to go into town and figure it out! So, if you’re looking for a relaxing morning full of snacking and shopping in Montclair, look no further - here’s what I did! Below you can follow my footsteps from the Crescent Parking Garage…
Since Montclair has its cute little neighborhoods, I decided to go into the Church Street area and figure it out from there. The first thing that came to mind was coffee (duh). There are plenty of options on Church St. including Starbucks and Java Love, but I decided to cross over Bloomfield Ave. and head into Sweet Kitchen.
Sweet Kitchen. Image courtesy of Sweet Kitchen
With endless options of pastries, bread, and sweets it is hard not to choose every snack when you walk into Sweet Kitchen, but I stuck to my guns and just went with a coffee. I suggest an iced coffee with a pump of hazelnut and a pump of vanilla - that is my go-to! Sweet Kitchen has a great ambiance both in and outside. I suggest sitting outside - on a nice summer morning, I was able to sit back and take in the hustle and bustle that fills this little city! From dog walkers to families, to couples filled with summer love - Sweet Kitchen is situated in the perfect spot to people watch and say hello to your neighbors.
Urban Outfitters. Image courtesy of Urban Outfitters
After a delicious coffee, you can move on to shopping. There are so many shops in the area. First, I headed back towards Church Street taking a peek in lululemon to check out the latest athletic styles and then Urban Outfitters to pick up on the latest trends. After Urban, you can head to Oasis to pick up some basics. The head toward Anthropologie - whether looking for your home, gifts, or clothes there is definitely an option - or even just get a whiff of their famous Capri Blue candle. Cross back over Bloomfield and head to the right to reach one of my favorite spots - GiftBar! I absolutely adore everything they have in this store - from cards to candles to mugs - there is something for anyone and everyone.
Croissants and Pastries. Image courtesy of Le French Dad Boulangerie
To close out the morning - treat yourself! Head back towards the parking garage and over to Le French Dad Boulangerie. I went with the classic croissant, but there are plenty of croissant or other pastry options to choose from. Once you head back to the parking garage you can close out your morning by putting on some good music in the car - I suggest Spotify’s “Mood Booster” playlist. Now get ready for an awesome day because you just learned how to give it a great start!
