Perch Home Expands to South Orange

South Orange residents who are fans of Maplewood's acclaimed gift and home store, Perch Home, now have access to the shop's merchandise closer to home.

Perch owner Michele Bessey has teamed up with Chris and Emma Magenta, owners of South Mountain Yoga, to bring a satellite Perch shop to the yoga studio.

One entire wall of the studio now features a gorgeous selection of some of Perch's top selling items, including candles, scarves, jewelry, clothing and more. New items will be brought in every month or two, said Bessey.

"We're taking advantage of the synergy of South Orange and Maplewood as 'sister towns,'" she said.

Since South Mountain Yoga, which operates out of a large, airy studio space above the Chase Bank on South Orange Avenue, is open hours that Perch in Maplewood is closed (including weekday evenings until 8 p.m. and from 8 a.m. on weekends), it is a great overlap for customers.

The three proprietors will host a launch party on April 18, with free yoga at 7 p.m. and a reception to follow at 8:30 p.m. 

The Magentas said they were looking to partner with another local merchant, and were inspired by their colleague Ben Salmon, who recently opened up a pop-up shop version in Summit of his wildly successful South Orange store Kitchen a la Mode. 

"I do a lot of shopping at Perch and I've always liked their aesthetic," said Emma Magenta. "Michele's merchandise matches the studio."

Bessey said she chose items that represent some of the best Perch has to offer, and that will appeal to the yoga studio's clients.

Magenta said customers seem to quickly identify the merchandise. "They say, 'Is this Perch?'," she said. "It's immediately recognizable."

"It's a little bit of Perch in South Orange," Bessey said.