"Memories are made when gathered around the table." Karen Clemmenson of Gather to Graze said that to 42 Freeway this summer, after she announced that her charcuterie business was leaving Mullica Hill for downtown Swedesboro.
That table now has a Swedesboro address: 1252 Kings Highway. The shop scheduled its grand opening for Halloween morning at 10 a.m. About the same time, Acts of Graze, the other charcuterie name on Kings Highway, was getting ready to move from 1454 Kings Highway to Downtown Pitman. One graze business is leaving the corridor and another is arriving. For anyone hosting Thanksgiving in Swedesboro, the arrival matters more than the departure, because of how the new shop handles the holiday. Its Thanksgiving orders all come out on one day, Wednesday, November 25, in scheduled pickup slots. Your downtown holiday errand is now built around that day.
Two businesses, going in opposite directions
Each move has its own reason. Gather to Graze ran for about six years out of 69 North Main Street in Mullica Hill. According to 42 Freeway, it used that building as both its commercial kitchen and the pickup spot for pre-ordered catering, and it worked almost entirely as an order-ahead business. Clemmenson told the outlet she had outgrown that space a long time ago and had spent several years looking for a new one.
South Jersey Food Scene reported that she found 1252 Kings Highway by chance. She was in Swedesboro picking up an order, saw a "For Rent" sign, and after one phone call and one tour she knew it was the right place. The open layout had what she wanted: a commercial kitchen, a dedicated workspace, customer seating, and room to grow.
Acts of Graze went the other way for its own reasons of growth. Owner Melissa Mangiaracina started the business in a shared kitchen in Washington Township and then opened at 1454 Kings Highway. She is now moving into 29 S. Broadway in Pitman, the former Mama Marie's Italian Market, where the plans include more classes, workshops and private events. In September, 42 Freeway reported that the Pitman opening was aimed at late October into November, with no exact date announced yet, and that the new space would add a build-your-own charcuterie bar. Its website lists November tea parties at the Pitman address. Anyone who used to pick up from Acts of Graze on Kings Highway should plan on going to Pitman this season.
What the new storefront is set up to add
On Kings Highway, Gather to Graze plans to add something it didn't offer in Mullica Hill: food you can walk in and buy. South Jersey Food Scene describes a planned large grab-and-go case with individual graze boxes, shareable charcuterie boxes, fresh lunches, signature sandwiches based on the catering menu, and salads. The shelves will also carry products from other small South Jersey businesses. In its move announcement, the shop said Hen's Honey Shoppe bottled coffees would be part of that case. The business is also in the South Jersey Food Scene Frequent Diner program, so the card gets you 10% off.
Ahead of the opening, its website told visitors to "visit after the grand opening" and listed no regular storefront hours or prices for the walk-in case. On a weekday lunch run, check the shop's Instagram for current hours before you walk over.
The holiday side still runs on a schedule
The holiday menu works the way the Mullica Hill business always did: order ahead, then pick up at a set time. The holiday ordering page lists these fulfillment windows for the season:
| Holiday | Orders fulfilled through |
|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | November 25 |
| Christmas | December 23 |
| New Year's | December 31 |
On the 2026 calendar, Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, so that Wednesday the 25th is the day before. The Thanksgiving page says orders will be completed on Wednesday, November 25 and shrink-wrapped, and that "slots are filling up quickly." The page also sets out pickup rules that are worth knowing before you order:
- A request is not a booking. The page says an order is not guaranteed when you submit it. The shop will contact you by email or phone to confirm whether it can fill the order.
- Your pickup time is set in advance. Pickups are scheduled, and you need to arrive within 30 minutes of the agreed time.
- Missing the window costs you your place. Because storage and refrigeration are limited, an order not picked up within 30 minutes goes to the next person in line, and you wait at the shop while yours is made.
The Thanksgiving boxes come in four sizes:
| Box | Price |
|---|---|
| Small Graze Box | $65 |
| Medium Graze Box | $97 |
| Large Graze Box | $162 |
| Extra Large Graze Box | $224 |
Every size includes fresh fruit, roasted red pepper hummus, vegetables, artisanal cheeses, crackers, mild and hot Italian salami, olives, gherkins, dried fruit, nuts, honey and something sweet, plus a few holiday additions. The Large and Extra Large boxes also include seasonal bread, vegetable dip and Italian bread. If you're choosing between Medium and Large, the $65 step up is also where the bread course comes in. Whipped ricotta with honey or whipped feta with honey can be added for $18 each, and solid wood trays are available on request at varying prices.
Why the Wednesday slot shapes the rest of the errand
Since the board has to be picked up at a set time on the 25th, it makes sense to get everything else downtown on the same trip. Gather to Graze's own announcement named its neighbors. Sweetsboro Pastry Shoppe is "right next door," Petals and Paints Florist is "right down the street," and Hen's Honey Shoppe is "just seconds away." Under each shop's regular posted hours, all four are open on Wednesday, November 25:
| Shop | Address | Regular Wednesday hours | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gather to Graze | 1252 Kings Highway | Scheduled pickup slot | Thanksgiving graze boxes |
| Sweetsboro Pastry Shoppe | 1302 Kings Highway | 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Scratch-made European-style pastries, cheesecakes, cookies |
| Petals and Paints | 1330 Kings Highway | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Thanksgiving arrangements |
| Hen's Honey Shoppe | 95 Woodstown Road | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., food orders end at 3 p.m. | Coffee, light bites, seasonal boutique gifts |
Some shops may change their hours the day before a holiday, so confirm directly with each one. The regular schedules still show the limits. Petals and Paints closes at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays. Hen's stops taking food orders at 3. Sweetsboro stays open until 6. If your graze box pickup is late in the afternoon, get the flowers and the Hen's stop done before it.
Filling in the rest of the table
Sweetsboro Pastry Shoppe describes itself as a scratch-made, European-style bakery. Its current menu lists cookies, daily donuts, sticky buns, filled croissants, cinnamon rolls, muffins, coffee cakes, mini pastries, cheesecakes and cupcakes, and cupcakes are $1 each or $6 for a half-dozen. The menu doesn't list Thanksgiving pies or an order deadline, so call ahead if dessert is on your list.
Petals and Paints has a Thanksgiving collection that includes the Autumn Harvest Ceramic Pumpkin for $60, Sunflower Happiness for $85, and Autumn Gemstones and Hello Fall for $100 each. The shop offers same-day delivery in Swedesboro on orders placed before 11:45 a.m. That's a general cutoff rather than a holiday-specific one, but it could save you a stop if your Wednesday is already busy. It's closed Sundays and Mondays, and Saturday hours end at noon, so the week before the holiday has fewer open hours than it seems.
Hen's Honey Shoppe is the one stop off Kings Highway, at 95 Woodstown Road. It serves coffee flights, specialty lattes, breakfast and light bites, flatbreads, shareable plates and sweets, and it has a seasonal boutique with locally made goods, candles and gifts. That's handy if you're bringing a host gift rather than hosting yourself. Its menu changes with the season, and the shop posts updates on Instagram.
The calendar keeps going through New Year's
Thanksgiving is only the first of the cutoffs. Christmas orders are fulfilled through December 23 and New Year's orders through December 31, and each holiday has its own menu page. The Thanksgiving page spells out the confirmation and 30-minute pickup rules. For the later holidays, read each menu page for its own terms before you count on a December slot.
In Mullica Hill, Gather to Graze was an order-ahead kitchen with no walk-in counter. At 1252 Kings Highway it plans to be both, and it sits within a short walk of a bakery, a florist and a coffee shop whose regular hours cover the Wednesday its Thanksgiving boxes go out. What's left for you to do is get a confirmed slot.
I keep track of what changes on Kings Highway because the businesses on this block are part of what my clients are getting when they choose a home in Swedesboro. If you're planning a move, a sale, or just your first holiday in a new house here, Shayden Feret can talk you through the local details along with the transaction. Let's Connect.
