Listen to this articleAt just over a square mile, Hoboken looks like a small city on the map. But for entrepreneurs, it’s one of the most dynamic places to launch, grow, and sustain a business.
The city has become a blueprint for how local economies can not only attract but retain small business owners. Its combination of steady foot traffic, community loyalty, and entrepreneurial collaboration culminates in a rare ecosystem where innovation thrives and relationships drive economic resilience.
As owners of multiple businesses across Hoboken, we have seen firsthand what makes the city special. It doesn’t just support small business — it actively invites it.
Location and foot traffic
On any given Saturday, Washington Street is packed — strollers, dogs, people grabbing coffee before heading to the waterfront. That steady buzz is what makes Hoboken special. Small, sure, but the mix of neighbors and visitors keeps every block alive with energy, and its proximity to New York City brings a flow of new customers and a demographic diversity that fuels growth.
The consistent visitation serves as a feedback loop. In Hoboken, a business can test new concepts and learn quickly what resonates within a familiar community. The city’s walkable design means customers often discover businesses organically, leading to word-of-mouth marketing and returning customers.
When Luca decided to become a business owner in the food industry in 2019, he initially considered New York City, but it was Hoboken’s ability to cultivate high foot traffic while maintaining a historic small town feel that led him to opening Alessio’s Cafe in the Mile Square City.
Tight-knit community
Equally important as frequent visitation for Hoboken’s success is its deeply rooted community culture. Businesses don’t just sell, they become part of your daily routine. The café where neighbors stop every morning or the bar that feels like your living room on game day. In Hoboken, owners are woven right into the fabric of the neighborhood.
A Hudson County native, Amanda opened Schmitty’s as a community-oriented bar, starting the business with her brother-in-law. Her family-forward approach has cultivated a network of customers who host birthday parties and fundraisers, come watch live performances and more. This is the Hoboken business audience in a nutshell. Customers show up not only for products or services, but for people.
This innate sense of community is what allowed Luca to open Alessio’s Cafe in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite larger cities seeing sales drop and businesses close down, Hoboken’s tight knit community rallied behind the cafe, ensuring a loyal customer base and a steady cadence of visitors.
A collaborative spirit
Sustained support exists not only from the customer side but also from the business side, where collaboration is prioritized over competition. The city’s network of business owners is a part of an intimate community that actively supports its members. Long-standing business owners champion up-and-coming entrepreneurs and individual businesses attend each other’s events and promote each other’s activations.
There is a widespread mutual investment among those in Hoboken’s business community, an understanding that success for one business strengthens the local economy and creates places that make people want to live and work here. Local business associations like the Hoboken Business Alliance play a critical role in connecting owners, sharing resources, and championing policy changes that benefit entrepreneurs.
Schmitty’s started as an offhand idea. Amanda had no experience owning or operating a business, but neighboring businesses answered her questions and provided suggestions for how to build a successful foundation and maintain a stable customer base. Just four years later, the team is preparing to open its second business in the city.
Because of this network of trust and support, we – like many other business owners – have found expansion in Hoboken feels not only possible, but natural. Many entrepreneurs go on to open second or third locations, not out of ambition alone, but because the conditions for success are replicated citywide. The confidence built in Hoboken inspires expansion into neighboring cities or even larger markets like New York, with many owners citing the support they received locally as foundational to their growth.
Running a small business isn’t easy anywhere right now. But in Hoboken, you never feel like you’re doing it alone. Neighbors show up. Fellow owners cheer you on. And the city itself has your back. For business owners, this square mile isn’t just a place of work — it’s home.
Amanda Schmitt is the co-owner of Schmitty’s and the soon-to-be-open Snack Bar in Hoboken. Luca Infantino is the owner of Alessio’s Cafe, Terrace by Alessio’s and Casa Italia Gourmet Market in Hoboken. He is on the board of the Hoboken Business Alliance.
