Samantha Katehis’s coffee shop on Newark’s MLK Boulevard is a literal oasis. Climbing plants and succulents line the walls and entangle the railings at Fern & Fossil. Regulars routinely seek out her green thumb. Last Sunday, one customer asked for advice on how to save a jade plant from the brink of death. Katehis diagnosed the problem and sent the woman off with a caffeinated smile.
Katehis’s coffee shop opened last year behind the Krueger-Scott Mansion, the home of brewer Gottfried Krueger at 601 MLK Boulevard. Avi Telyas, CEO of Makerhood, invested $10 million to restore it. After completing one of the city’s most important historic preservation projects in years, Telyas turned his focus to becoming a small business incubator. Katehis’s cafe is a product of that.
But the venture is helping to turn around a neighborhood that in recent decades was known more for its empty lots and rundown historic buildings. Katehis rents an apartment on site, so she has a front-row seat to the neighborhood’s transformation.
“I love the idea of living here and having a storefront here,” said Katehis, who moved back to her hometown after going to school and traveling. “To have a business here, you have to understand the ecosystem.”
Tenants at Makerhood get an apartment and a retail space along with mentoring and low-rate financing. For Telyas, you can’t improve a neighborhood or a city unless you give residents the tools to succeed. “When folks don’t have a way to make a living, that’s when most of the social ills creep up,” said Telyas, when Jersey Digs spoke to him in 2023.
But Telyas isn’t the only developer investing in the neighborhood lately. Two major developments are proposed within walking distance of the mansion: Mid-Atlantic Development Alliance is currently building a seven-story building at 535 MLK Boulevard. Down the street, Yaakov Schwarzman teamed up with architect Marat Mutlu to fill a lot at 611 MLK Boulevard that has been vacant for over 50 years. In its place, Schwarzman is planning a 69-unit building with an outdoor terrace overlooking the skyline…