Goffin’s All Grown Up: Thriving 77 Years in Rutherford
By Kelly Nicholaides • Special to Meadowlands Magazine
W alking into Goffin’s at 64 Park boutique and gift shop in Rutherford is like entering a playground of nostalgia. Generations of children have grown up here, shopped for a gift, added charms to their fashion jewelry, and bought clothing and accessories, homemade chocolate and of course, a Hallmark card. Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, new babies, baptisms, graduations, career milestones, deployments, holidays, hard times, illnesses, deaths and everything in between are occasions for celebration and joy, hope and well wishes, or mourning and remembrance.
Two teenage girls browse friendship bracelets and driver’s license holders during the Goffin’s Spring Celebration featuring free farm-to-table soup, lemonade, and prizes. “Look at this one. Omg. It says, ‘Just Passed.’ “It’s perfect.” They snap photos, pool their money, and complete the purchase.
Goffin’s colorful history seems like a Norman Rockwell painting of Americana. Owner Barry Goffin’s father Lew, uncle, and grandfather bought the business in 1947. It was previously a dry goods store selling newspapers, cigarettes, toys, art supplies, and tables of dolls adorning the entrance to entice girls.
“Hallmark brothers came in with sample cases with wire racks at the ends of tassels, and in 1953, we became the first Hallmark Gold Crown store in New Jersey,” Goffin recalled.
The business was sold about 20 years later. Barry Goffin, 67, who holds a degree in marketing from Boston University, bought it back into his family in 1996, remodeled it then and again in 2000 and 2016. Many mom-and-pop stores have come and gone, but Goffin’s at 64 Park is going strong.
“During our first two remodels, we removed the old carpeting and big, heavy card racks. In 2016, we threw the whole store in the garbage and started over,” Goffin explained. “We took two layers of wall and ceiling off in 2016, repointed the bricks, power-washed and sealed. The Hallmark selection is exactly as it has been, with lighter cases. We put in a mahogany marble showcase in the front, raised the ceiling, and added chandeliers and LED lights. When you walk in, it feels like home. I want people to feel relaxed and happy, not pressured.”
Customer service is king
Lew Goffin taught his son how to provide excellent customer service and weather economic downturns. When a Western Electric executive peered through the storefront after hours, Goffin made eye contact and reluctantly let him in. The man purchased $5,000 worth of Hallmark pens.
“He paid with a check and told me to hold onto the pens until the check cleared,” Goffin said.
“You can’t always say ‘yes’ to customers, but you can find ways not to say ‘no’ and meet people halfway.”
Examples include a customer who said they were short changed one item, but Goffin noted it likely fell out of the bag in their car. He offered to replace the item at half price and asked the customer to bring the lost item in, if found.
“We want people to leave here happy and come back,” he said.
Excellent customer service is a given in the 4,000-square-foot business with seven employees. Whether someone is spending $1 on a greeting card or $100 on gifts, they are treated the same way.
A graying man in a bomber jacket rushes in and says breathlessly, “I need a card. I don’t have time to look around. I’m in a hurry.” Assisted by a customer service rep and satisfied with his selection, he pays $3.19 for a Hallmark card, thanks the staff and exits.
Five minutes later, a tall redhead in a blue dress buys $150 in health and beauty aids. Five children head to the back room for dessert – candy orange slices, M & M cups, chocolate-covered pretzels, and Sour Patch candy.
“I offered to take them for ice cream, Dunkin’ Donuts, or Goffin’s. They chose Goffin’s,” customer Denise Travers reflected.
Variety of products offered
Goffin’s has 15,000 products (SKUs) for sale on-site and online. The gift boutique is like two stores in one, with four registers to prevent lines from forming.
“If you have people waiting in a line, you’re blocking the merchandise. Four registers keep the floor going,” Goffin explained.
The front layout features everything you need to look, feel and smell great, relax, entertain, and pamper: women’s clothing, Nest fragrances and soy blend candles, Beekman goat milk bath and body products, Jukebox aluminum-free deodorants, T-shirts that highlight the Garden State, Shihreen cotton gauze scarves, a Rutherford section, books by local and best-selling authors, housewares like Nikita glass blown lazy Susans and wine glasses, oven mitts with vintage art and humor, men’s Tooletries™, golf collectibles, Stonewall Kitchen drink mixers and jarred food, Dock & Bay beach towels, and more.
The Brighton™ “Fashion Meets Function” collection anchors the storefront. It is bursting with rings, charms, wristwatches, and bands including those for Apple watches, keychains, necklaces, bobby pins, bracelets, earrings, sunglasses, and premium leather goods such as handbags, boots, sneakers, wallets, bracelets, and belts.
“Seventy-five percent of the belts made in the U.S. are by Brighton. Adornments for their belts can be used on handbags and fashion jewelry. The leather bags come with a two-year guarantee. When you buy Brighton bags here, once a year we send them out for cleaning and conditioning for you free of charge for the lifetime of the bag,” Goffin said.
Generations of customers
A bench and table next to the front door creates a relaxing vignette. It’s a seat for anyone who needs to take a breather or for customers buying custom, cut-to-fit sterling silver or gold “forever” bracelets.
“Our customers have been coming here a long time. They start off young, grow up and come in pushing strollers, and may end up using a walker. If they need to sit down, they can have a seat here. If they need to spread out to get an ankle bracelet fitted, they have room. Whatever the customer wants or needs, we try to accommodate,” Goffin said.
Best-selling products include Brighton™ items, a Sopranos cookbook, Taylor Swift books, assorted tea collections, candy and chocolate, and Hallmark cards. Some hot sellers of the past were replaced as shoppers moved toward a preference for natural ingredients, and Goffin pushed to use more local and smaller scale suppliers. The Yankee Candles are gone, in favor of soy blends by Nest. The ubiquitous Beanie Babies of the past were replaced with the ultra-plush Jellycat. Pedal-free “balance bikes” are favored over “training wheels.”
Whenever a product is sold, employees restock from his basement supply and track inventory. Goffin chooses his vendors carefully.
“If it’s not in a Big Box store, we like the style, and the company is nice to work with, I’ll buy from them. We use three or four clothing vendors…P.J. Salvage, Z Supply, and Posh Peanut, to name a few. They give us territorial protection. I use seven or eight New Jersey woman-owned suppliers, four Rutherford artists, a banker turned author, and more,” Goffin said.
In 45 years, Goffin has provided jobs to about 1,500 teens across six northern New Jersey stores, providing them with their first “real job” in small business.
“A seven-year-old came in with her mother. She dropped something on the floor and put it back on the rack. I told her, ‘Come back when you’re 16 and I’ll hire you.’ She came back, I hired her, and she stayed with us through college,” he said.
They don’t grow up too fast though. Goffin’s keeps everyone young at heart. The back end of the store contains rows of Hallmark cards (some with the option to add photos and videos), stuffed animals, toys, storybooks, parenting books, baby clothes and accessories, the wildly popular sweet shop and more. The average confectionary stores get their supply from the same vendor. Goffin’s uses seven different chocolatiers, including Bromilow’s in Woodland Park.
Maria Diluccio of Secaucus says she’s always here. Today she purchased greeting cards, chocolate-covered Oreos and candy.
“The people are sweet and helpful, the variety of cards and gifts always brings fun surprises, and I was able to find a combination birthday/St. Paddy’s Day card for my adult godson,” she said. “Where else can you get that?”
Barry’s wife, Marilyn, runs their Morristown store. His daughters, Cali and Jordyn, run a Montclair shop.
“Rutherford is still growing, becoming a destination for top restaurants, good shopping. If the schools are good and the houses of worship are maintained, the town thrives. We survive and thrive with each other,” Goffin said.
Every Saturday, customers can stop in for a complimentary cup of Oldwick Soup Company favorites. The next spring event featuring surprises and prizes is on May 4.
Kelly Nicholaides is a freelance writer, journalist, and photographer based in the Meadowlands area.
