Like a certain neighborhood bar in Boston, everybody knows your name at Jooche’s Sweet Shop, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary.
At 186 Ave. B, the corner of 47th Street, it’s still a morning stop for coffee, cigarettes, egg sandwiches, or tabloid newspapers before folks head out for work.
And on any given school day, throngs of kids come in for candy, cupcakes, or potato chips on their way to or from Washington Community School across the street. Students from St. Vincent De Paul Grammar School, 47th Street between Avenues C and B, also crowded into the shop and congregated outside before the school closed a few years back,
All are welcome at Jooche’s. When family businesses are mostly on the way out, Jooche’s has survived.
Though not what it used to be, owner Michael Giampaglia, or the current “Jooche,” is happy that his shop still gives customers what they want: basic goods at affordable prices, and a place to strike up a conversation.
“Everyone knows everyone’s’ names,” Giampaglia said.
“Jooche” is Italian for “donkey,” a name given to the store by Michael’s father Joseph because donkeys are known for working so hard. At one time, the store was open 20 hours a day, with two shifts of workers.
Giampaglia’s father taught him that longevity comes from hard work and keeping your customers happy.
Jooche’s customers have included a heavyweight boxing contender (Chuck Wepner), a National Football League player (Kenny Britt), a U.S. Congressman (Barney Frank), a Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Martin Dempsey), and a number of local elected officials and other politicians.
Some refer to Jooche’s as a second City Council chamber, where issues are discussed and deals are brokered.
“Political deals are made at an old-fashioned sweet shop called Jooche’s,” reported a 2003 Village Voice story about Bayonne.
The shop is also featured with photos in “Bayonne Passages,” a book by Kathleen Middleton in 2000.
On a recent day, Board of Education trustees Michael Masone and William Lawson, former municipal judge Patrick Conaghan, Sam Maggio, Ed Broderick, and James Porch sat at a table in amid the activity, sharing stories.
Broderick said he’s been a customer for 60 years.
“A lot of sports participants came in here, whether it was baseball or basketball or whatever,” Broderick said. “It’s always been a friendly and lively place; it’s just been a place to go.”
“Jooche does a little bit of this, a little bit of that, whatever we need him to do,” Porch said.
“We sit down, we read the paper, and we solve the problems of the world, or we talk about them at least.” – Paul Weeks
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Attorney Paul Weeks, 43, is one of the newer guys. He’s been coming in for only the last seven years. He says it’s the camaraderie and the jokes that make him a regular.
“Whatever you say about these guys, they’ve been coming here forever. It’s like a clubhouse,” Weeks said. “We sit down, we read the paper, and we solve the problems of the world, or we talk about them at least.”
Giampaglia joked, “The reason I’m probably going to stay in business is to keep all you characters busy.”
A few days earlier, former Third Ward Councilman Ray Greaves was enjoying an egg “breakfast” at 2:30 p.m., explaining that he hadn’t had time for that most important morning meal.
On any given day, at any time, the smell of frying bacon and fresh-brewed coffee wafts through the air.
Numerous Giampaglia family members have staffed the counters. Giampaglia’s mother, Elizabeth, is a mainstay, working the afternoon shift.
Giampaglia acknowledges that the times they are a changing, and that a place like his is more the exception now than the rule. He’ll stay open as long as the public sees a need, and he can still make a buck.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.