Premiering August 4: Inspiring Immigrant Stories from Main Street

What sets Downtown Hackensack apart from other New Jersey towns and cities? It’s certainly not hard to spot. Practically every other store here offers a glimpse of the deep melting pot of cultures created by immigrants who have set their retail roots right on Main Street. The colorful sights. The delicious aromas. The flavors. Fashion. You name it, and it’s right here for you to enjoy. For The SACK Business Alliance, our job is to get the word out about this welcoming community that is a tapestry of tastes for locals and visitors to discover. And what makes these immigrant-run businesses even more special are the stories that brought them here—a catalyst for our Stories on Main Street project.

Teaming up with the NNJCF (Northern New Jersey Community Foundation) and award-winning filmmaker Dana Glazer, we greenlighted the Stories on Main Street Docu Series. Four, five-minute films that spotlight immigrant business owners sharing their inspiring stories and the vital roles they play in developing our rich Main Street culture. Each documentary focuses on the struggles and adversity they faced at the beginning of their journey, which has helped shape their success stories of today.

The film series kicks off at HACPAC’s Movies Under the Stars on August 4th at Atlantic Street Park, beginning at 8:30PM. The release dates for the films will be:

Thursday, August 4: Colombia Bakery Factory
Thursday, August 11: El Turco Grill
Thursday, August 18: Colombian Fashion Boutique
Thursday, August 25: Coffee Break

Aside from the documentaries being featured, short surveys will also be disseminated to moviegoers to continue our efforts to measure people’s perceptions of the changes happening on Main Street. Coinciding with the release of the films will also be an interactive online map offering even more information about these inspiring immigrant-run businesses as well as the opportunity to add your own story.

Are you excited about the new Stories on Main Street film series? Let us know @downtownhackensack on Facebook and Instagram.