A Sweet Rutgers Romance

Working at a local chocolate and ice cream shop brought Rutgers alumni a life of love and business ownership. Their shop is one of many businesses that will be featured in the Rutgers Alumni-Owned Business Directory to be launched in November.
When Rutgers students Michael Schnur and Jennifer Meyer started working part time at Thomas Sweet Ice Cream and Chocolate in New Brunswick, they never imagined that they would fall in love while crafting chocolate truffles or creating strawberry cheesecake ice cream and then someday own the shop together.
Schnur, who started working in the shop in 1984, and Meyer (now Schnur), both 1987 Rutgers–New Brunswick graduates, began making ice cream there in 1985. The rest is a sweet story of chocolate confections, ice cream, romance, and Rutgers. The couple started dating a month after Jennifer Meyer began her employment at Thomas Sweet in 1985.
Both were just looking for part-time jobs while in college. “She wanted to be a lawyer, and I was a music minor and wanted to work in the music business,” Michael says.

After graduation in May 1987, the couple enjoyed a celebratory party with family and friends including the former shop owners. “Literally the day we graduated, our employers who were our bosses here, asked us if we wanted to buy the shop,” Jennifer says.
Michael adds, “I guess there was a chance that we were interested in buying it, but we clearly had other career paths planned, and then it took us about a year to take ownership. There were negotiations and frustrations buying a business, like coming up with the funding and all the lawyers and everyone involved, so we ended up buying it about a year after we graduated.”
Rutgers Alumni-Owned Business Directory
The Schnurs’ shop is just one of the many businesses owned by Rutgers alumni to be featured in a directory of alumni-owned businesses. Alumni are currently being invited to join by completing this form. The online directory will be live in November.
The directory will help Rutgers alumni-owned businesses support one another and foster a thriving community of entrepreneurs and professionals.

“Our new directory of alumni-owned businesses will be a wonderful way for alumni to support each other and their businesses,” says Scott Owens, Rutgers associate vice president for alumni engagement. “We also want to foster more connections among alumni and create a thriving community of alumni businesses. As alumni, we can all support each other and help all alumni-owned businesses succeed.”
Unofficial Rutgers Welcome
The Schnurs say they are excited to be featured in the new directory and proudly post a business directory sticker in their shop window.
“We just love this place,” Michael says of Rutgers. “My grandfather went to law school here, my mom went here, and many nieces, nephews. Jennifer’s grandfather also went here and studied chicken husbandry at Cook College, and both of our children graduated from Rutgers as well. All our friends are Rutgers alumni.”
The Schnurs, who live in Piscataway and are 35-year Scarlet Knight football season ticket holders, also love that Thomas Sweet on Easton Avenue is a regular stop on many Rutgers campus tours. It is a six-minute walk from Old Queens.

The couple welcomes many groups of parents and future Rutgers students to their shop, which they expanded into two stores, dividing the ice creamery and the chocolate shop with separate entrances next door to each other in December 1995. “We try and give potential new students and parents the best advice,” Jennifer says.
New Business Owners
The couple bought Thomas Sweet, located in the heart of New Brunswick on Easton Avenue, together in April 1988, got engaged a month later, and married in January 1989. Their son was born in March 1990, and their daughter came into the world in February 1992, the day before Valentine's Day, the busiest time of year for the shop.

Teaming up worked well as Michael manages finances and accounting, and Jennifer oversees marketing and advertising. The couple’s children and Michael’s mom have worked in their store as well as numerous Rutgers students, some of whom have found love in the shop and returned years later with baby carriages.
When walking into the shop, customers are greeted by the tantalizing aroma of chocolate and an array of displays of truffles, creams, chocolate-covered-pretzels, fruit, bark, and fudge as well as a variety of gifts including Jellycat stuffed animals. After working in the shop for years, Michael says they do not even notice the enticing scent of chocolate unless they have been away for a while.
Schnur-Meyer Sweets, the corporate name for Thomas Sweet in New Brunswick, offers chocolates, ice cream, and corporate gifts. Some enticing top-selling chocolates include the Dubai chocolate bars made with pistachio paste and filo, and the milk and dark chocolate meltaways in a variety of flavors ranging from coffee and espresso to raspberry to peanut butter.
The shop is a franchise of Thomas Sweet in Princeton, but the couple also personalizes the business a bit. For example, the signature ice cream flavor in the shop is a tribute to the couple’s favorite alternative rock band, Dexter Freebish, named after a famous rollercoaster in Houston. The flavor is made from vanilla ice cream with caramel cashews and chocolate chips. Michael recalls going on the road with Dexter Freebish for five to six weeks scattered throughout 2001–2003. His cousin, who worked at Capitol Records, introduced him to the band and asked him to help with the tour.
The couple says they love being in New Brunswick.
“We know this town inside out,” Michael says. “All of our employees come through here and we are like their parents. We tell them all about New Brunswick, give them a lot of information, and we tell them where the best restaurants are and where to live if you are a freshman.”
Join the Rutgers Alumni-Owned Business Directory by filling out and submitting this form today. Questions? Email rutgersalumni@rutgersfoundation.org.
Join Today
Sign your business up for the Rutgers Alumni-Owned Business Directory.