Business & Tech

Sparkle Shines Again at SoJe

The jewelry store was damaged in a fire in downtown Lawrenceville. Now a neighboring business is offering them space to sell their wares.

A fire may have forced them from their building, but not out of business.

In March, a fire on Crogan Street left jewelry and craft store Sparkle and several neighbors with smoke damage. Three months later, and owner Meg Earhart is still not able to return to her store on the square.

Sparkle, however, is back downtown selling goods made by Earhart and other local artists—Even if it is only for one weekend.

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Thanks to the kindness of her neighbors, Earhart is setting up shop temporarily just a few doors down at SoJe Emporium.

“We’ve decided to team up with SoJe Emporium as a way to reach out to our local customers and give them a chance to shop with us while we’re waiting for the store to re-open,” said Earhart.

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For just two days—Friday and Saturday June 7th and 8th—Sparkle is holding a trunk show at SoJe, located on the first floor of Honest Alley at 178 E. Crogan St.

While she had officially planned to start the sale at 2pm Friday, customers were eager to buy Earhart’s goods once again.

“There was a line of people waiting outside the door this morning,” said Earhart. “We’ve already had some customers here this morning, which made me feel real good.”

“Meg approached me and she said she wanted to be down here for First Fridays and we thought it was an awesome idea,” said Nakia Williams, owner of SoJe Emporium. “When the fire happened I told here ‘any time you need me, I’m here.’”

Williams notes she offered help to other shops affected by the fire as well. Other businesses on the square also reached out. temporarily stored salvageable items from the Aurora Theatre. Many of the theater’s sets and props were housed in the basement of the building where the fire broke out.

Sparkle’s trunk show is part of First Fridays in downtown Lawrenceville.

“First Friday is a day when merchants in the historic Lawrenceville area set out to provide specials—special events or specialty items—for consumers,” explains Williams. “A lot of us are open longer hours typically on First Fridays.”

“If this [trunk show] works out, we may try to do another one again before the shop gets finished,” said Earhart.

There’s no date yet for when Sparkle will re-open. Earhart says a lot of work that needs to be done. “They’re doing a lot of tear out. They’re having to go back with some code upgrades and things like that, so that’s taking so long because it’s an older building,” said Earhart. “Even though the damage wasn’t extensive, the damage there was enough to require them to go back with a lot of new fire walls and new electrical and all of that, so that’s causing a lot of delays.”

Earhart is trying to let shoppers know that Sparkle is still in business. She and her staff have spent a lot of time on the road selling at events nationwide—one of the reasons she moved next door to a smaller spot in January. She is also meeting with customers and selling items online on Sparkle’s website and on the store’s Facebook page

In the meantime, Earhart is thankful for the support of her neighbors on the square.

“In spite of tribulation, we as business owners will come together and we’re going to make it happen,” added Williams.


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