Marc Greenfield’s father opened the business at the Englishtown Auction in the 1950s. Forty-five years later, Greenfield and his wife, Meg, are ready to say goodbye to Susan Greene. BOB NOPPE MATAWAN — The story of Susan Greene — a store that sells quality, affordable handbags and accessories — began at the Englishtown Auction back in the 1950s.
“My father had a business at the Englishtown Auction where he developed a clientele for selling better handbags for better prices,” said Marc Greenfield, owner of Susan Greene.
It was that devoted clientele and the better prices that caught the attention of the developers of The Marketplace and led them to approach Greene’s parents, Ruth and Julius Greenfield, to join the businesses at the new shopping center on Route 34 on the Matawan/Old Bridge border.
“In its day, The Marketplace was a very hot shopping center because there were a lot of new stores,” Greenfield said. “Everyone who opened a store here were discounters. We were discounters of better merchandise.”
Susan Greene will remain open for one last holiday season, prior to closing at the end of the year after 45 years in business. BOB NOPPE According to Greenfield, the assortment of stores offering better merchandise for discounted prices quickly drew shoppers to The Marketplace and Susan Greene, which became known for quality women’s clothing and accessories such as casual or dressy handbags; 14-karat gold or sterling silver jewelry; and other fashion accessories such as scarves, sunglasses, wallets and luggage.
“It was something rather unique and something rather new,” he said. “The Marketplace was a Mecca of discount stores, so when you came here, you were getting high-quality merchandise that you would’ve found in a better department store. But it was all discounted, which back then was very unusual.
“Years ago, there weren’t outlet malls like there are nowadays. We were like the first outlet mall.”
Forty-five years later, the legacy of Susan Greene, the only remaining original tenant of The Marketplace, will come to an end when the shop closes at the end of the year.
“I tossed and turned about closing the store for a long time because that was a hard decision to make,” Greenfield said. “It wasn’t really a quick decision, and it wasn’t easy. But I felt like it was time, after 45 years.”
Another thing Greenfield tossed and turned about was how he was going to break the news to his employees.
“I wasn’t sure how I was going to tell them,” he said of his employees, whom he considers family — some have been working at the shop for more than 30 years. “That was the tough thing in this. They never thought I’d be able to leave here.”
Marley Levitt, who has been an employee of the shop for a number of years, said he would miss the place.
“I’m so used to coming here,” he said.
Breaking the news of the shop’s closing to his customers was also a difficult task for Greenfield.
“We just didn’t want to scare people and leave town,” he said.
He noted that many of his customers who have been shopping at Susan Greene for years brought their children, who would later return and bring their own children.
Greenfield admits he can’t remember all the customers’ names, but he said he has cherished the close relationships he has developed with many of them over the years.
The closing of Susan Greene, he said, draws mixed reactions.
Susan Ciuffreda, who has been shopping at Susan Greene for years, said she is very sad to hear the store is closing.
“I rushed over to find out what they had,” she said. “I love their jewelry selection, their prices and their friendly service.”
With four decades in the discount merchandise business, both Greenfield and his wife, Meg, note that they’ve seen a lot of changes occur over the years.
“We’ve seen the change in retail and in retail patterns,” Meg Greenfield said. “Years ago, when people got dressed, they changed their bags every day. Today, life is much more casual and relaxed, so you have to gear your merchandise more toward that.”
The big question Marc Greenfield had after deciding to close the shop was whether he was, in fact, making the right decision.
“There was also a side of me that thought, ‘What happens if I decide I don’t like retirement?’ ” he said. “I’ve been speaking to a lot of people who have been saying, ‘Once you go out, you don’t go back.’ I’m kind of looking forward to it now.”
But while the shop is winding down, Susan Greene will be open until the end of the year for holiday shopping, with “new merchandise being brought in daily, lots of good bargains, everything reduced, better bags 50 percent off.”
“It’s been 45 years, and we’ve had a great run,” he said. “We’ve serviced a lot of people, we’ve made a lot of friends, and we’ve done very well over the years. But it’s time to say goodbye.”