Sickles Market wins 'Best of' in four categories in New Jersey Monthly's online readers poll

Sickles Market in Little Silver, N.J., set a record for repeat wins in four categories in New Jersey Monthly’s readers’ online poll "2012 Jersey Choice: Best Of New Jersey." Winners in 80 categories were announced in the magazine’s April issue.

According to New Jersey Monthly, over 8,000 readers participated, and only one vote per e-mail or IP address was allowed. The ballots were tabulated by J.H. Cohn LLP, a Roseland-based accounting and consulting firm.
Sickles Market took home the blue ribbon in the following categories: Florist, Garden Center, Gift Shop, and Gourmet Shop, as well as runner up for Bread and Butcher!

The kudos are right on the tail of last year’s awards finale when Sickles Market won 2011 New Jersey Family Business Award by Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurship at Fairleigh Dickinson University. The popular, century-old market has come a long way since it morphed from a seasonal farm stand to a national award-winning year-round gourmet food market and garden center in 1999.

Below are quotes from New Jersey Monthly about the category winners:

GARDEN CENTER: When Bob Sickles’s parents operated a seasonal, open-air market, they realized that customers wanted to grow their own fruits and vegetables, so they started selling edible plants. That idea has grown along with Sickles Market in Little Silver. It is now a large outdoor garden center and greenhouse offering decorative and edible plants, as well as accessories like fountains and wind chimes.

GIFT SHOP: Not your typical gift shop, Sickles Market in Little Silver, in the words of Lisa Karasic, marketing manager for the 20,000-square-foot emporium, is “sort of an eclectic wonderland.” Products range from home decor accents like pillows and chandeliers to pampering treats like exfoliating products and body creams.

GOURMET SHOP: The gourmet grocery department of Sickles Market in Little Silver is special to owner Bob Sickles because it dates to when the business was seasonal and open-air, before the family built its 20,000-square-foot store. “It’s still a big part of the business,” he says. “I like to say we specialize in quality, freshness and range of product.”

To see the entire online article, here is the link. www.njmonthly.com Sickles Market mentions appear in the Shopping category and the Food category.