Musicians Jonathan Rivera and Jay Herrera combined two of their passions a few months ago and opened one of Union City’s most singular stores, Arawax Records & Teas.
Located at 801 11th St., just off Bergenline Avenue, the small shop offers vinyl records as well as a collection of organic teas, art, books and apparel. It also hosts DJ sets by local emcees and a video podcast called "Shop Sessions.''
On Friday, Feb. 7, Arawax will participate in a tribute to the late rapper J. Dilla by sponsoring a free show at 414 38th St., Union City, with DJ sets and live music.
“We decided to take everything we care about and turn it into this store,” co-owner Rivera said. “We’re really into vinyl and we both have our own collections. We just wanted to do something that reflects what we want to do with music as our careers. We’re just spreading the musical knowledge we have to the community.”
But Arawax is much more than a record store.
Stop by and you can enjoy a hot cup of herbal tea on the premises, or buy it in bulk to take home.
“We basically just didn’t want to have to work other jobs anymore,” co-owner Herrera said. “We’re musicians, but we have to pay the bills. Tea is something we’re also very much into, along with a healthy lifestyle. We’ve been vegan for 10-plus years, and we’re all about plant-based health and sharing that knowledge. The tea shop seemed like a creative way to make our record store seem cooler.”
In addition to a large selection of herbal organic teas – made from ingredients like turmeric, ginger, sassafrass, and other health-giving herbs and plants – the store also offers a free weekly consultation with an herbalist. There’s also a small selection of art, urban apparel and plant-based remedies for sale.
“The community has really embraced us, the reaction has been much, much better than we expected,” Rivera said. “We really want to try and make Union City part of the local music community around here, just like Jersey City and Hoboken and everywhere else. We want people to come here and see what we can offer.”
The record store offers a mix of genres, although the “New Arrivals” bin seems primarily devoted to hip hop.
“We have people from the immediate neighborhood come in and want Spanish records so we have those, but we have rock and hip hop and a good mix here,” Herrera said.
The record and tea shop represents the tip of the iceberg as far as River and Herrera’s future plans are concerned. They’ve already set up a recording studio and plan to turn Arawax into a record label, primarily showcasing local artists.
“We’re just getting started with that, but it’s something that we very much plan to do,” Rivera said.
Arawax Records & Teas of Union City will present Dilla Day at 414 38th St. on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at 8 p.m.
The showcase on Friday will feature an Arawax Records deejay set and live performances by the soulful June & The Pushas from Jersey City; New Brunswick rockers Professor Caveman; and the “music, art, rhythm, love and freedom” vibes of North Jersey’s Roky’s Reign.
“The show is part of a national celebration of J. Dilla Day,” Rivera said.
Dilla, a major figure in the ’90s rap scene, died at a young age of a rare blood disease. The Union City show was moved from the store to the larger venue on 38th Street.
“That’s actually a restaurant and club with a stage,” Herrera said. “But we want to put on shows like this on a regular basis to reach out to the community.”
Besides music, the event will offer tarot readings, Coralemon’s doughnuts, and a fashion boutique.
June & The Pushas, featuring Jersey City soul legend Junestar Mr. Blackman, will perform a special set with the rap group BMR (Billion Man Rebellion.)
“I’m really excited about this show,” Junestar said. “Weehawken, Union City, Secaucus, North Bergen, they all come to Jersey City all the time, why can’t we go to them? It should all be connected.”
BMR, Junestar explained, is a rap collective comprised of many people, including CF, Dontique, Animal Crackers, and others.
“It’s a billion of us,” he said. “CF and Dontique are the main guys who steer the group. Lots of other artists work with them. About a year ago, we started talking about putting our music with live instrumentation, so this Arawax show will be the first time we’ll be able to do that in a flush, full on capacity, and we’re really looking forward to it.”
The Pushas will be performing tracks from “The Art of Navigation,” the group’s first release since 2015.
“We’ll be releasing that soon and it’ll be about 10 tracks, and we’re very excited, so we plan to be playing out a lot more,” Junestar said. “And we’re hoping to do a lot more shows with BMR, too. Be sure to look for #juneandthepushas, @cf201, and @dontique on Instagram to keep up with what we’ve got going.”
If you go ...
Arawax Records & Teas, 601 11th St., Union City, is usually open on Thursdays to Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call 201-453-3133 for more information.
The Dilla Day NJ showcase takes place Friday, Feb. 7, at Union City Social, 414 38th St. Showtime is 8 p.m.; admission is free.
MORE AREA VENUES CLOSE
FM Bar & Lounge isn’t the only local venue that’s fallen on hard times. Downtown Jersey City’s LITM recently closed, and the venerable D.C.’s in Hoboken – a comfy dive bar favored by generations of local rockers that featured DJ sets and occasional live music over the years – has announced it will be going out of business. Although the owners haven’t announced a closing date, DJ Pat Longo announced online that Thursday, Feb. 6, would be the final installment of his First Thursdays Night, and the bar has deactivated its Facebook page.
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