When musician Dwight Thomson went through a divorce, “My wife got the house and I got the business,” he joked last week, during a conversation about some changes at his unique sandwich shop, D’s Soul Full Café on Willow Avenue.
Thompson first came to Hoboken from Canada seven years ago to make it in the music industry, and the idea of running a store wasn’t in his head. He didn’t imagine that a lot of things would change as quickly as they began. The band that brought him to the Northeast fell apart, and Thompson began working in a sandwich shop known as Josh and Ives, formerly part of the Bagel Smashery franchise in Hoboken.
Four years ago, the shop’s then-owner, Josh, decided to sell. He offered the café to Thompson, who took over operations with his wife.
“I try to be a positive rock in a world of chaos.” – Dwight Thompson
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“Everyone thought I was Josh,” said Thompson.
Thompson says they got it down to three new names, but couldn’t decide. So, they recently took votes from regulars on a new name.
“We thought it would be fun to open it up to the public,” he says.
The regulars voted, and a few weeks ago, the newly revamped store on Willow Avenue became D’s Soul Full Café in a reopening celebration.
“I want this to be a community hot spot for Hoboken,” he says, indicating the local art on the walls. “I want it to be a good place for people to meet up.”
Wisdom, wraps, and music
Although the café, which is open seven days a week, keeps Thompson busy, he still keeps his musical roots going. He recently started a singer-songwriter series on Sunday mornings and plans to feature a local musician every month. He wants to promote local artists and musicians by promoting their work every month.
“I’m musician myself,” he said. “I’m trying to have some fun with it rather than just slinging bagels.”
In addition to the brightly colored walls in vibrant yellow and accented with red booths, there are T-shirts hanging on the walls, all with positive sayings written on them. Selling T-shirts is another aspect of his vision that he is trying to get off the ground.
“Some are mine, some are famous,” he says about the pearls of wisdom. “Some are things I hear on the street. Some I read in books.”
Thompson has many balls in the air, all of which he is trying to gain momentum for. Talking to him is like having a triple shot of espresso and jumping in the ocean. His ideas for building a community for artists and locals tumble out as fast as it takes him to make a sandwich for customers, all while engaging them in conversation.
“I’m a walking good-time-vibe machine,” he says with a laugh. “I try to be a positive rock in a world of chaos.”
Not a ‘smash’
Thompson revamped the menu in the fall after he decided not to continue the Bagel Smashery franchise. The franchise also has a shop on First Street and has copyrighted their unique form of warm, pressed bagels. When Thompson took over the shop from Josh, it was still part of the franchise, but Thompson had new ideas for the café.
The shop will still press bagels by request. Beware, though: Their cashier may warn you to call it a “pressed” bagel and not a “smash.”
“People come in asking for a ‘bagel smash,’ so we have to correct them. It is a copyright infringement to call it that,” he said. “We don’t actually ‘smash’ bagels here. I can’t control what people say, but we have to say something.”
He added, “We use a standard sandwich press if people want their sandwich pressed. It’s a Cuban sandwich that is what we are doing.”
Since last September, Thompson discontinued the franchise rights and changed the menu, focusing on more sandwiches and wraps, which he says are becoming more and more popular.
Regulars come in now for the wraps – like the popular “Mexicano” – and the conversation.
Dancing for the soul
Running the café is a full-time commitment, says Thompson, who doesn’t sleep much. But he also wants to do something for kids. Later this year he plans to launch a non-for-profit called “Dancing for Change” to help kids make better choices.
The idea, which isn’t fully realized yet, would have his dance troupe come to local schools to generate money for the charity of their choice.
Before turning to music, Thompson was a professional dancer for nine years, performing free-style break, jazz and hip-hop. He says dancing opens the heart up.
“Dancing is liberating,” he said. “When you are dancing you feel good. Nowadays, we are so A.D.D. We need something to keep our attention. Basically, it will be a collaboration of different people. I can’t go into all the details, because I don’t know all the details yet.”
In a year’s time, he hopes to have all of his ideas come to fruition – the café as a local meeting place, the T-shirt business, and the non-for-profit.
“I try to give back to people. I try to listen. After my wife left me, I decided all I wanted to do was help people,” he said. “I’m very ambitious and I want to do a lot before I go.”
D’s Soul Full Café, 918 Willow Ave. is open seven days a week. For more information, call (201) 604-0054. Comments on this story can be sent to: editorial@hudsonreporter.com.