Coastal vibes meet city style at Hoboken’s newest storefront, Dune + Salt, located at 1200 Washington Street. This upscale, chill new location is filled with clothing and accessories for men, women, and children, all while giving back on a local and global level. Plus, this new storefront has already become an uptown hot spot of sorts, which means that is well worth a visit ASAP. Read all about Dune + Salt, Hoboken’s newest boutique.
How Dune + Salt Came to Be
Business partners + long-time friends and owners of The Girt, {a small boutique in Sea Girt, NJ} Christopher Cox and Michael Martinez are onto their newest endeavor — Dune + Salt. Christopher and Michael both grew up in the retail industry and have strong backgrounds in the business. In their careers prior to opening up Dune + Salt, Christopher was the head of a major fashion designer brand and Michael worked at Calypso St. Barth, growing their business from a 20 store chain to a 50 store chain. With Michael’s operational skills and Chris’s creative senses, the two took their expertise and created a brand management firm, helping brands develop overall design strategies. They always kept their retail experience in their back pockets, so when a small shack in the Sea Girt took them by surprise, they knew exactly what to do with it — open up a store.
As The Girt grew, so did Christopher and Michael’s dreams. Michael, who lives in uptown Hoboken saw that Hudson Keys was closing and knew exactly what to do with the 400 square foot space. “It was The Girt right here in Hoboken,” Michael explained. “Everything lined up so we decided to just go for it.” And so Dune + Salt was born. The store officially opened on Small Business Saturday {November 30th}, just in time for the holiday season.
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Brands You’ll See
The storefront has an upscale, coastal vibe with a selection of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. The sustainable brand, Outerknown, is headlining the men’s section for now. While brands like Frank & Eileen, a knit-driven brand made in LA, and Kule, a nautical brand with gorgeous cashmere and luxe shirts, will be anchoring the women’s section as they get started.
Their children’s section is currently being headlined Zip Code Heroes, a company started by two local Hoboken kids. Michael’s two children, Avery, 10 and William, 8, started Zip Code Heroes, as a passion project which quickly took flight. Avery and William started their business as a lemonade stand at Pier 13 to benefit cancer research. There were times where Avery and William were bringing in nearly $4,000 dollars a day from very thoughtful and generous locals. What they learned is that when they gave back to the community, people gave more.
Avery convinced Michael to let her start a fashion brand, Zip Code Heroes. The company’s motto is to “look good in your hood.” Plus, 20% of all proceeds from sales from the fashion line are donated to The Hoboken Homeless Shelter.
Dune + Salt’s Mission
The mission is simple: give back to the community. Hoboken, like Sea Girt, is a city that prides itself on supporting local businesses and giving back. That’s why everything sold at Dune + Salt has a purpose behind it. Their goal was to sell locally made, U.S. based, or fair trade items that are attached to a charity or organization.
Christopher and Michael are also excited to be the hub for organizations within the area that do good things for the community. “We keep asking ourselves, how can we use our space to help our city?”
What they love most about Hoboken is the passion of the residents and how they are always willing to support each other. “On Mondays when we are closed, we can do a beach clean up, volunteer at The Hoboken Homeless Shelter, or even start an anti-bullying campaign,” Michael told HG.
Dune + Salt also proudly supports local artists and brands. In fact, the storefront carries a line of dog treats that are handmade by one of Michael’s daughter’s friends, with proceeds being donated to Liberty Humane Society.
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What You Need to Know
Dune + Salt is Hoboken’s newest retail store that strives to give back and do things the right way. “We want it to be your chill hang out,” explained Michael. “We even have a wine fridge and stuff for the kids so our customers can shop and enjoy their time in the store.” Stop by and check out this new spot on Washington Street and see all they have to offer and how you can get involved in their give-back initiatives.
Have you visited Dune + Salt yet? Let us know in the comments!
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