BAYONNE, NJ – Bayonne took a giant step into the hip hop culture this week with the grand opening of NJ Hut retail store on Broadway.
For owner Victor Marquez hip hop culture is about what people wear, as well as they listen to.
Although hip hop is derived from a style of popular music of African and Hispanic origin is it more than that, he said, adding that many people confuse rap with hip hop, when, in reality, rap is only one aspect of a larger hip hop culture that includes graffiti art, dance, deejaying, and a certain look people have in what they wear.
While the store is new to Bayonne, it is actually an expansion from The Hut BX, which Marquez’s father started in The Bronx in 1999.
His father worked at a prominent retailer before striking out on his own in what was then still predominantly a music business.
“My father was into Latin music,” Marquez said. “I’m into hip hop.”
When his father decided to retire to Florida, Marquez inherited the business, and gradually made the Bronx store into a mecca of hip-hop culture that often included appearances of up and coming artists as well as established international hip-hop artists such as Jadakiss.
Unfortunately, the shift in music from CDs to streaming has made it nearly impossible to make a living selling music as he had in the past. So, Marquez decided to focus on the culture that includes a variety of other items such as sneakers, an array of top-line brands displayed along one wall. Clothing such as hoodies line another wall and the middle with hats in the back.
But along with these the store also sells movies and games for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PS Vita, and, once the COVID-19 health restrictions are relaxed, Marquez hopes to host in-store game playing on Sundays for kids.
In order to compete with big box stores, Marquez is offering delivery service in Bayonne and the region, similar to a program he instituted at The Bronx store that makes deliveries to all five boroughs.
Mayor Jimmy Davis said businesses keep coming to Bayonne, despite the pandemic, suggesting that the changing city has become an attractive place to do business.
Coming to Bayonne is no accident, Marquez said.
His friend operates a barber shop next to the store and suggested Bayonne might be a viable place for a business like his.
The neighborhood is a block away from the Route 440 overpass which is the official start of the Bergen Point section of the city. His block includes a hair stylist, a prominent Italian restaurant, a cigar store as well as the city’s museum.
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