About Us: A Love Letter

Jersey City is a big city with a small town mentality and – in a way – a bit of a phoenix. From the ashes of decaying factories and crumbling industrial parks, warehouses and rail yards sprout artists’ lofts and farmers’ markets, new businesses and young families. It’s an incredibly special place to live and work.

Kanibal & Co. (formerly Kanibal Home) was one of those stubborn weeds that kept growing. The shop started out online in 2006 selling mostly refurbished furniture and in 2009 grew into a small storefront off Grove Street in Downtown Jersey City. Busting at the seams and almost eight years later, Kanibal & Co. moved into its current location at 197 Montgomery Street where the shop continues to expand its offerings. The store stocks a rotating collection of goods that are both forward-thinking and rooted in tradition – everything from apparel and accessories to home furnishings and fine jewelry – but the bones that make up Kanibal & Co. are its locally-made products and curated findings. 

I always imagined the shop as a way to create a partnership with the Jersey City community that both filled a void and fulfilled a passion – to elevate handmade, honor process and bring back a sense of whimsy into decorating one’s self and home. Since the opening of the brick-and-mortar location, Kanibal & Co. has collaborated with local talent to produce an eponymous line of apparel, home goods, and fine jewelry (all available online as well as in-store). The shop also holds monthly craft classes taught by Jersey City-based artists, where 100% percent of the cost goes back to the instructor.  

My background is varied, and I’ve worn many different hats – morgue assistant, rugby player, ice cream scooper and snack cake mascot wrangler, to name a few – but nothing has made me as happy as being a small business owner in Jersey City.

Thank you for choosing to shop small,

Kristen