'The Local Bungalow': A Small Waretown Shop Supporting Locals

WARETOWN, NJ — As a Waretown native, Danielle Preiser always hoped she could work and live in her hometown.

Now, with the opening of The Local Bungalow in Waretown, Preiser's dream has come true.

"I love giving back to the community I grew up in," Preiser told Patch.

The Local Bungalow began in 2015 in a different form. Preiser, then a student at Liberty University, began making jewelry in her dorm room between classes and selling it at local festivals to pay for textbooks. She graduated with a degree in Fashion Merchandising in 2016 and opened up her first location of what was then called Coastal Threads in Historic Smithville.

The store expanded to a Ship Bottom location in 2019 before the world came to a halt in 2020.

That year, Preiser moved back to Waretown with her husband, where she still lives with her 10-month-old daughter. She pivoted and began selling her homemade soy candles wholesale to shops and boutiques around the world. Then, she reopened as The Local Bungalow, now in the Shoprite Plaza in Waretown.

"I am excited to bring a small business back to my hometown," she said.

The store sells a variety of locally made goods, including clothing, accessories and home goods.

The handmade soy candles that she hand pours right here in Waretown are one of the store's most popular items.

While The Local Bungalow is just getting started in Waretown, new products and brands are always on the way, Preiser said.

"I like getting to know my customers and building a relationship with them," Preiser said.

One of the ways she does this is by hosting events at the store. The next event is "Be Our Valentine" on Feb. 11 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. It will feature another Waretown local business, Got Candy Homemade Chocolates, and you can enjoy free refreshments, giveaways, store-wide sales and more.

The Local Bungalow is located at 501 U.S. 9 Suite 210, Waretown. For more information, check out their Facebook page.