City Council proclaims July 14 as shop’s day
By John Tredrea, Special Writer
Next July 15 will mark the 21st anniversary of the opening of the Blue Room Home Furnishings shop at 6 Coryell St., and so Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio recently proclaimed that July 14, 2014, will be “Blue Raccoon Day” in the city.
The mayor read his proclamation into the city’s official record at the Oct. 15 City Council meeting.
The measure states in part that “Blue Raccoon Home Furnishings is an award-winning lifestyle and home furnishing store” that “features the latest furniture designs from top designers and manufacturers and an eye-catching assortment of home furnishings, rugs, lighting, accessories, as well as beautiful gifts and accent pieces.”
Blue Raccoon co-owners Nicholas Bewsey and Nelson Zayas opened the store on July 15, 1993.
Their business has supported key organizations in the city, the mayor’s proclamation notes, including the Lambertville Chamber of Commerce, Lambertville Historical Society and the Kalmia Club.
The Blue Raccoon often spreads good news about Lambertville, the measure adds. “Blue Raccoon Home Furnishings continuously promotes the City of Lambertville in the national and local press, social media, and to their customers, as the best small town in the United States.”
The shop has been a key player in the city’s ongoing economic revival, the proclamation states.
”The Blue Raccoon has contributed to the continued economic growth and development of Lambertville as a premier destination for retail shopping,” the measure concludes.
”Nelson and I really appreciate the proclamation on our behalf,” Mr. Bewsey said. “Before opening the Blue Raccoon, we both lived and worked in Manhattan for 11 years. After working for other people for that long, we wanted our own business. Both my parents and Nelson’s parents are entrepreneurial people, so we grew up with that kind of attitude, of wanting to run your own business. It’s like it gets in your blood.”
While visiting a friend in New Hope more than 20 years ago, he and Mr. Zayas decided to take a walk across the bridge to Lambertville. “We felt so grounded right away here,” he said.
”We walked all over town that day and said to ourselves: ‘This is it. This is where we’ll open our store.’”