After six and a half months of shuttered service, D’s Soul Full Café is back in business, and possibly better than ever. On New Year’s Day 2015, an electrical fire broke out in the apartment above the restaurant at 918 Willow Ave., causing extensive damage to the building.
Along with eight families who occupied the rowhouse’s upper floors, the shop’s owners, Dwight Thompson and Stephen Bailey, were displaced while contractors covered by the landlord’s insurance refurbished the building’s interior from top to bottom.
Though the Hoboken Fire Department did a laudable job putting the flames out, the water they pumped in was damaging in its own way, particularly in the café, located directly below the fire. In the kitchen area, the walls, floor, bathroom, plumbing, and electrical wiring all had to be replaced, according to Bailey. Only the ceiling, made of waterproof tin, could be salvaged.
The D’s duo took advantage of the facelift to reconfigure their store’s layout, replacing benches with more friendly bar tables and streamlining their kitchen space for a easier work environment. “The room feels a lot bigger now,” said Bailey.
“You’re basically starting from scratch.”—Stephen Bailey
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“About 3 or 4 days [after the fire],” recalled Bailey, “I sprang up in bed and yelled, ‘4,000 menus!’ because I had just gotten a delivery of them, but luckily they were safe…in a corner where there was no water.”
Even with the positive changes and lucky breaks, the fire was still a significant burden for the sandwich shop. All the counters and some of the refrigerators had to be replaced and were not covered by insurance, and the kitchen had to be completely restocked and re-inspected. “You’re basically starting from scratch,” said Bailey.
Giving back
Over the years, Thompson and Bailey have done their best to support the Hoboken community in whatever ways they can. Their sub rolls come from Antique Bakery, one of the last classic Italian bakeries in town, and the walls of the shop are covered with the work of local artists.
D’s has also served as a much needed venue for live music in the city, opening up its window seat to nearly any local musician looking to do an acoustic set. Over the years, the shop has hosted scores of Hudson County artists, many of whom Bailey knows from his twenty-five years as a musician, promoter, and music blogger in town.
“It started out as a way for us not to be bored,” said Bailey, “and then it turned into something better.”
After the fire, it was the Hoboken community’s turn to help out Thompson and Bailey. In February, the Hoboken Rotary Club organized a night of food and music in support of all the tenants of 918 Willow, ultimately raising over $10,000.
Finnegan’s Pub donated wood for the new tables at D’s and bar stools to go with them, and Maxwell’s Tavern offered to let the restaurant work out of its kitchen. The Ale House also offered furniture to replace what the café lost.
“All the people in the neighborhood were offering to help,” said Bailey. “There was a lot of stuff we couldn’t take advantage of.”
When D’s was finally ready to reopen this past weekend, Bailey called every musician he knew in Hoboken and invited them to come down and play. “I had about 25 people RSVP,” said Bailey. “About half showed up because that’s how musicians are.”
Still, Bailey called the two-day reopening celebration a smashing success.
D’s Soul Full Café can be found at 918 Willow Ave., and online at dssoulfullcafe.com. For the time being, the restaurant will be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Carlo Davis may be reached at cdavis@hudsonreporter.com.