Junction Hall Celebrates Main Street Opening 4 p.m. Friday
Cowerks, Second Life Bikes, Wile Events & High Voltage Merge Business With Community
The 9,000 square foot Junction Hall celebrates the merging of business and community from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday.
Located at the corner of Main Street and Springwood Ave, the venture is a collaboration between two established business owners – Second Life Bikes and Cowerks.
The merger came together when building owners Robert and April Kaprelian of Ocean Grove gave the existing Second Life Bikes tenant a first option to buy. Through crowdfunding and the work of Interfaith Neighbors Business Development Director Roger Boyce, a partnership with the Lake Avenue-based Cowerks owners Bret Morgan, Danny Croak and Gregory Edgerton was born.
The result is a space where the underserved population of Asbury Park and the cutting edge entrepreneur/freelancer can meet, organizers said in a written statement.
“We lost space but gained new energy and ideas,” said Kerri Martin, owner of Second Life Bikes. “It will add a new vibrancy here.”
For Cowerks, Junction Hall is an expansion of their shared workspace model that offers creative projects and classes and the nurturing of entrepreneurs, small businesses, designers and programmers.
“This was the perfect opportunity for us to support the demand we’ve seen for shared office space and for Second Life Bikes to stay in their longtime home,” Morgan said in the written statement. Danny Croak has been the project manager and said Cowerks will “continue to create a bridge between our technology focus and Second Life Bikes. This can open doors for a lot of people and opens a lot of opportunity.”
Photo courtesy of Joe Grillo
Also new to the building is High Voltage Cafe and Wile Events.
High Voltage Cafe, which launched in 2015 on the Asbury Park Boardwalk, is an Eastern European inspired eatery with an outdoorsy ambiance. It is the second location for owner Sonia Jozajtis, who runs Nomad Asbury lifestyle brand and glamping company Wanderland Popup Hotel with her partner Jason Thomson.
Wile Events is a boutique event, floral and graphic design studio, founded by Sisters-in-law duo Gabrielle and Lorraine Wile. The pair have produced destination weddings and intimate celebrations from New Jersey to California.
The celebration will run from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, with a 4 p.m. ribbon cutting ceremony setting things off. Food, music and drinks are on the menu. To RSVP for the free event, click here.
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