To the Editor:

As 2022 comes to a close, and our stores, restaurants, and cafes are filled with holiday cheer while we work around the clock to serve our vibrant Princeton community, I wanted to take a moment to express my sincerest thanks and gratitude to all who supported the Princeton Merchants Association (PMA) and the Princeton business community at large over the course of this year. We are grateful for each and every one of you.

The PMA has worked tirelessly through the years to serve the businesses who in turn play such an important role in serving our community, and we are proud of the many ways in which we have been able to make a positive impact. However, as you may be aware, we are now at a time of transition with the newly-formed Princeton Business Partnership (aptly named “Experience Princeton”) taking the mantle of supporting the Princeton business community through the structure of a Special Improvement District. The Partnership has hired Isaac Kremer as its full-time executive director, and many of our current PMA board members are transitioning to the board of the Partnership, as well.

With the creation of the Partnership, the PMA is wrapping up our work and officially ending our operations at year-end. While we will no longer work as an official organization, our board members and I will continue to champion the spirit of “for merchants, by merchants” as we take on leadership roles at the new Partnership.

When I was elected president of the PMA a year ago, I had no idea what a year of transition 2022 would be. I am so proud of the work of this amazing organization, our all-volunteer board, those who partnered with us, and the spirit of merchant representation that has flowed through everything we’ve done … all while performing our “day jobs” as business owners, nonprofit directors, and merchants in the community. More than anything, though, I am proud of the connections we’ve made as a business community; the shifting landscape of how people shop and dine (and the recent shifting physical landscape of our downtown!) has brought us all together, supporting each other and communicating together more than ever before. I will cherish these relationships into the future and hope many of my peers and fellow Princetonians feel the same way about their own relationships with our local businesses. 

It has been a pleasure serving as president of the PMA and an honor to be the last to hold that office, following in the footsteps of dedicated presidents before me. I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you, and I look forward to seeing you around town in 2023 and beyond.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season!

Andrew Siegel
President, Princeton Merchants Association
COO, Hamilton Jewelers
Proud Princeton Resident