Around the time Edna Epelu opened her small business in September 2020, the coronavirus had already infected 6.5 million Americans and claimed the lives of 195,000 people nationwide.
The Ugandan-born entrepreneur, who studied abroad, earning an MBA and Master of Science from separate universities in Scotland, also performed humanitarian work for a decade in West Africa, Central Asia, and the United Kingdom.
Those life experiences gave Epelu the courage and business acumen to pursue her version of the American Dream during the height of the pandemic, launching Papillon & Company, a home decor and gift store on Main Street in Metuchen’s vibrant downtown.
Epelu’s initial goal was simply to welcome one customer at a time to her spacious 2,450-square-foot, two-story building, which features a community meeting space above the store below. She literally left the front door open for patrons.
“People poked their heads into the door, but they wouldn’t come in,” recalled Epelu, observing the general public’s palpable fear of the contagion. “I was living one month at a time. The goal was one person a day, every day. That’s how bad it was at the peak of the virus.”
The approaching holiday season brought with it a need for customers to purchase gifts, enabling Epelu’s fledgling business to take flight and laying the groundwork for an anniversary message she posted last fall on Papillon & Company’s website.
“It has been a remarkable two years since opening on September 1, 2020. We couldn’t have done it without the numerous folks who love boutique shops, shop small, and who collect original or classical art and quality furnishings for their home. Our space has developed into a marketplace for artisans, an incubator for small businesses and a social space for community get togethers. We carry products crafted by at least 20 New Jersey makers, have been a business incubator for four startups, and hold at least six art exhibitions annually. Beautiful things help us tell stories and my hope, always, is that on your visit you find or experience something beautiful so that you can tell your own beautiful stories.”
Epelu’s personal tale of success was recognized at the State House Monday as Senator Patrick Diegnan, whose legislative district includes Metuchen, honored the African-American businesswoman with a ceremonial resolution as part of the New Jersey Senate’s dual celebration of Black History Month and National Entrepreneurship Week.
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“She is a reflection of Metuchen,” Diegnan said while delivering remarks about Epelu on the Senate floor. “She embodies everything that is good about our country and it is an honor to recognize her today.”
Epelu joined Diegnan as his guest in Trenton to receive a copy of the resolution before Monday’s Senate voting session.
“This recognition is incredible, not just for me, but for anyone who dares to try something new,” said Epelu, who speaks with a charm and eloquence that reflects the bachelor’s degree in mass communication she received from Makerere University in her native Uganda.
“I feel to an extent this validates the decision for me to open (Papillon & Company) during a tough time. I feel that I am somehow making a difference for somebody and this is why this recognition comes, that somebody sees my story as in some way inspiring. It kind of emphasizes the point that almost anything is possible.”
Nestled between a coffee house and plant shop, Papillon & Company is located one block from Metuchen Station, where Epelu could take the train from Boston, where she previously worked in finance and where she earned yet another master’s degree from Simmons University in communication management.
“I used to come and see my family in New Jersey and on occasion we came to Metuchen to have lunch and I thought then it was a really charming town,” said Epelu who migrated to the United States in 2000 but only returned to the country in December 2019, three months before the pandemic struck.
“When I was looking for a place to open a shop, this was one of the towns on my list. It ended up having a perfect location when I was looking. I love small little towns. Metuchen is lovely.”
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The Brainy Borough, as it is affectionately known, is also thriving. As Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch recently stated in a Facebook post, “There was a time in the not-so-distant past where Metuchen’s Downtown felt desolate and struggled with vacancies. Now, it is a vibrant, active ‘place to be’ in Central Jersey.”
Metuchen’s downtown is one of eight national semifinalists to be named America’s Best Main Street. The other semifinalists are downtowns in Virginia (Danville), Texas (Denison), South Carolina (Florence), Florida (Orlando), Louisiana (Ruston), Wyoming (Sheridan), and Maryland (Sykesville).
In a press release announcing Metuchen as a national semifinalist, Main Street America said, “From painting the words ‘Shop Small, Shop Local’ on the railroad bridge that crosses over the town’s Main Street to using Small Business Saturday as a springboard for an entire month of promotional activities, Metuchen Downtown Alliance truly walks the walk when it comes to creating a culture of supporting small businesses.”
Epelu has credited the nonprofit Metuchen Downtown Alliance’s technical, financial, and networking support with helping to build Papillion & Company’s foundation.
“These business individuals have generously given time and shared experiences, and that is something I’m grateful for,” Epelu told MyCentralJersey.com in the days before her store’s grand opening. “There is a great community of businesses committed to you joining that community.”
With its warm upstairs meeting space that hosts events from Yoga classes to film screenings, to its inviting storefront which sells art, pottery, jewelry, greeting cards, gifts, shirts, and other items, Papillon & Company reflects Metuchen’s small-town charm.
“What I always want when somebody comes into the shop,” Epelu said, “is for them to feel that time has stopped for a little while, in a way like they are experiencing that feeling of being in a museum with beautiful paintings.”
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Epelu prepared for Monday’s visit to Trenton with a two-day trial run (pun intended), literally running 19 miles along Route 27 (Day One) and the remaining 15 miles along the Delaware and Raritan Canal (Day Two) to the state capital last week.
Having spent her formative years in Uganda and Zambia, the 34-mile trek afforded Epelu time to reflect on a much broader lifelong journey, one that has spanned four continents with the latest stop being in a borough that epitomizes small-town America.
“Having the ability to open a shop like this really makes one believe that America is the land of opportunity,” Epelu said. “So many amazing people really wanted to support this and they still support it. Somebody out there wants to see you achieve your goals.
“I’m so convinced that with grit and conviction you can do almost anything you want.”
Senator Patrick Diegnan 