How Business Owners Can Partner with HCDC to Invest in Millville's Future

Over the years, Holly City Development Corporation has funded several visible and impactful local projects through the state's Neighbhorhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program. Some include:

• Expansion of the Millville Public Library

• Development of the Creative Enterprise Center

• Development of Rowan College of South Jersey’s Arts and Innovation Center

• Murals that beautify the downtown Arts/Business District.

• Playstreets summer programming for Millville's young people in the Center City neighborhood.

• Housing rehabilitation projects for Center City homeowners

  
  

What is NRTC?

The Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit program allows companies with New Jersey State Tax Liability to purchase tax credits that fund projects in NJ neighborhoods. Holly City Development Corporation’s NRTC-approved Neighborhood Plan for the City of Millville’s Center City neighborhood is eligible for this funding.

The NRTC program is offered through the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and functions as a tax credit program. Companies are able to purchase tax credits and dedicate them to NRTC grant recipients (like HCDC) to implement projects that were submitted as part of the non-profit’s grant application.

The company receives an 100% credit against their NJ State tax liability. For instance, if a company were to purchase $1 million of tax credits, it would count as $1 million dollars against their tax liability, but instead of the money going into the State’s general tax fund, it would be committed to fund the the local projects HCDC has outlined in its application to the state. In order to have a fully funded project, we will need to have an investment of $815,000 in purchased credits — which can be reached with multiple investors.

How will the next Round of NRTC Funding Be Used?

Microenterprise Business Assistance Program

This project will provide grants and loans to small businesses for capital expenses, working capital such as equipment upgrades for existing businesses and building owners. Holly City Development Corp will offer a grant program up to $25,000 to recruit new businesses into the Center City Central Business District. We will also offer small business loans with flexible terms up to $50,000 for current, new and expanding businesses.

Homeowner Accessibility Program

Retaining current homeowners in Center City is critical to our neighborhood revitalization efforts. The Homeowner Accessibility Program is designed to add accessibility features to residents’ homes to aid them aging in place. Accessibility features may include: accessibility ramps, walk-in showers, handrails, and more.

Neighborhood Improvements & Community Engagement

Thriving business districts are built on strong communities. Through youth programming, Playstreets, neighborhood cleanups, and community gardens, HCDC will engage over 1,200 residents in activities that build pride and ownership in Center City.

Partner With Holly City Development Corporation

Holly City Development Corporation’s revitalization efforts create stronger neighborhoods, more opportunities for business growth, and a more vibrant city for residents and visitors alike. We invite business leaders to join us in shaping Millville’s future — where thriving communities and thriving businesses go hand in hand.

For more information on how to participate in the NRTC program, contact Heather Santoro, HCDC Executive Director, at 856.776.7979 or hsantoro@hollycitydevelopment.org.

Millville Spotlight: Every Lil Thing Co.

Photo by Bill Horin/ArtC. Story by Rob Laymon/ArtC.

Colleen Albertson’s new retail space at 412 N. High Street in Millville is part custom boutique, part hands-on workshop, and entirely community-driven.

Opened on October 16, Every Lil Thing Co. seamlessly blends custom creations with interactive experiences. The vibrant storefront features a curated selection of community-made apparel, home decor, personalized signage, textiles, and digital designs.

The expansive 1,600-square-foot space evolved from a happy accident. Albertson originally sought a simple storefront for her custom apparel business, Lil Dragon Tees and Things. Realizing the location offered far more square footage than she needed, she decided to open her doors to other local artisans.

“I wanted to give people who needed a storefront a chance to showcase and sell their crafts,” Albertson said.

What emerged is a bustling creative hub packed with interactive build-your-own stations, private event options, and modern tools like a 3D printer. Moving beyond traditional retail, the venue serves as a lively neighborhood gathering spot—hosting private girls’ night out experiences, birthday parties, and hands-on workshops ranging from resin art and painting to local book clubs and tea parties.

So far, Millville has warmly embraced the concept.

“It’s going well, and I’m super happy,” Albertson said.

Every Lil Thing Co.

412 N. High St., Millville, NJ

856-592-6105

everylilthingco.com

Millville Spotlight: The Queen Diner

Photo of Yilmaz Kangal by Bill Horin/ArtC. Story by Rob Laymon/ArtC.

Good food, good service. And I'm there every Wednesday for the all you can eat Chicken Pot Pie (it's actually Amish style). It's delicious.

In the great catalog of small but reliable pleasures in the world — should anyone ever compile it — diners will occupy a large place. Holding an important spot in that list will be the Millville Queen Diner, no less shiny than any, and no less ready to serve onion rings deep in the evening.

Come into this restaurant, this business of short orders and liquid transactions. Examine this menu of sure satisfactions for the hungry soul. It’s hard to believe that it’s the same menu offering cheese steak hoagies and Pork Cutlet Leonardo at the same time. But such is the diner, a full-service hunger-reduction company and friend on the highway.

“There’s a safety in thinking in a diner,” said filmmaker David Lynch. “You can have your coffee or your milkshake, and you can go off into strange dark areas, and always come back to the safety of the diner.”

The Millville Queen opened in 1995 to great hubbub, on a spot sacred to diners going back many years. Owner Yilmaz Kangal (pictured) owns a second diner in Malaga, another opponent of hunger, the Jersey Diner, opened in April 2026. Together the two help make South Jersey a noted spot in the Republic of Diners. It’s a territory where the currency is coffee, the borders are lined with chrome, and the citizens are united by a singular, late-night decree: that no problem is so vast it cannot be temporarily negotiated over a side of fries.

We may live in an era of rapid downgrades and collapsing institutions, but as long as the neon stays lit, the diner remains open for business. Go in, take a booth, and enjoy your pie.

Millville Queen Diner

Address: 109 E Broad St, Millville, NJ

Phone: (856) 327-0900