Anthony Montanti vividly recalls the first time he laid eyes on the woman who would eventually become his wife and business partner, Freda.
“It was February 4, 1957,” Montanti says emphatically. “I was in a class at the Jersey City State Beauty College and I looked across the classroom, and when I saw her, I said to myself, ‘This is someone special. This was it.’ I knew right away that she was going to be my wife. She didn’t know it, but I did.”
Montanti was right, because Anthony and Freda Montanti were married soon after he returned from a stint in the U.S. Army. Only months after receiving his military discharge, the Montanti hairdressing team opened the Fontaine Bleu Beauty Salon on Palisade Avenue in Weehawken, where the couple worked for nearly 40 years.
“We put a lifetime into that place,” Anthony Montanti said.
“We were just kids when we started there,” Freda Montanti said.
The couple had three daughters, Freda, Lisa and Christina, who were all born during the time that the salon was there and eventually worked there as well.
That’s why it has been so difficult for Anthony and Freda Montanti to say goodbye.
The couple decided last month to close the salon after 39 years and retire.
“I really have mixed emotions,” Freda Montanti said. “It’s like our baby is gone. Most of the people have been coming to us for years and years. They became our friends and like our family. I know that we’ve gotten older and it’s time to move on, but the reality is setting that it’s over and I’m a little saddened by it.” Her husband echoed those sentiments.
“It’s pretty tough to leave,” Anthony Montanti said. “We had clients who were there the first day we opened and came the day we closed. They aged along with us. One of our clients, Jackie Cianamea, had been with us throughout, a fabulous person who had been there the day we opened and the day we closed. It was a neighborhood salon with a friendly atmosphere.”
Reasonable prices
Anthony Montanti said that people chose to keep coming back because he kept his prices reasonable. “I was never overpriced,” Montanti said. “I was very fortunate to own the building, so I didn’t have to pay rent and that kept the prices down. We were able to give a service and the prices were reasonable. Obviously, they liked our work, because they kept coming back. Even when people moved out of Weehawken to Bergen County, they still came back. They didn’t like anyone else touching their hair. It was just loyalty to us.”
But the atmosphere also helped as well.
“For me, it was always fun to go to work,” Anthony Montanti said. “I had so much fun with the people. I’m a talker and love to talk. If I happened to be out sick, they would say, ‘It’s so quiet because Anthony’s not here.’ I’d also fool around with the clients, try to make them laugh. It was so much fun. It was never a chore.”
The atmosphere became so lively that clients didn’t want to leave.
“It was almost like a coffee klatch in the afternoon,” Freda Montanti said. “There would coffee and cake and cookies. When people were there, they always ran into someone they knew. It made it a pleasure to come to work.”
Rose LaMere had been a regular customer for almost 15 years.
“We shared a lot with the Montantis,” LaMere said. “We shared tears and we shared happiness. They were always there for the people. It was the local place to be. All the seniors from Gregory Avenue went there.
They were a good family and we got to know them all.”
Anthony Montanti said that he is amazed how 39 years could span family’s generations.
“I’ve gone through three generations, where I’ve done the mother’s hair, the daughter’s hair and then the grandchildren’s hair,” Montanti said. “That’s when you realize that you’ve been around for a long time.” But the time had come. Anthony Montanti had a slight health scare two years ago. Their daughters either now all have children or are expecting.
“I’m 64 years old now and I’ve had the warning signs,” Montanti said. “It’s time to sit back and enjoy our children and grandchildren. Who knows what can happen? Let me enjoy it while I can.”
Eventually, the couple will move from their Ridgefield home to Florida, probably within the next year or so, to be closer to their three daughters and four grandchildren.
“We have a big family that will keep us busy,” Anthony Montanti said.
‘Has been a fixture’
Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner was saddened by the news of the closing of the Fontaine Bleu.
“The Fontaine Bleu has been a fixture on Palisade Avenue for a long time and one of the true constitutions of the neighborhood,” Turner said. “Everyone goes to Anthony. It’s very rare to see a family business remain open that long. They are going to be sorely missed. They were loyal supporters of the township and helped the community so many times. They were a positive force for the community and I wish them well in their retirement.”
Freda Montanti said that she plans to keep in touch with as many of her friends from the Fontaine Bleu as possible.
“We shared a lot of sad and happy times together, births and deaths,” Freda Montanti said. “The holidays were always festive. Maybe that’s when I’ll miss it the most. The people were always so kind and sweet and generous. They were special kind of people. It was like a big family affair. I’ll try to keep in touch, but it won’t be the same as seeing them every day. There are so many happy memories that I’ll keep forever.”
“Probably after the holidays, I’ll say to myself, ‘Now what are you going to do?'” Anthony Montanti said. “We’ve been busy lately with our daughters, so it hasn’t really hit us yet. But it will. I know I loved every minute of the last 39 years and there aren’t a lot of people who can say that.”