HOBOKEN — Various street corners have been paved in Hoboken the last week, including this corner of upper Bloomfield Street. But why the Kafka-esque granite? Perhaps one of our literate readers can craft a new short story involving this project and leave it in the comments section below!
The true story, on the company’s website, is this: “In 1979, at the age of 21, Glenn Kafka of Stratford, WI, owner of Kafka Granite, LLC, purchased a backhoe at a local auction for $8,500. He provided a service laying drain tile for local farms with the intention of making their land more productive for growing crops. He also provided small backhoe jobs for the local area as needed. With his first office located out of his mother’s very small laundry room, Glenn was able to find work and process his invoices. While visiting with a neighbor around a campfire in 1981, Glenn was offered an opportunity to purchase a forty-acre granite pit.”
So the true story may have little to do with Frank Kafka, or Hoboken, but it’s a nice short story nonetheless.
Existential moments in Hoboken street paving
