Hackensack, NJ Community Message Boards

General Category => Hackensack History => Topic started by: johnny g on April 20, 2010, 07:43:46 AM

Title: Old Candy stores
Post by: johnny g on April 20, 2010, 07:43:46 AM
Hello again, does anyone remember the little market on Jackson Ave. right off of Hudson Street by Costa Bros? Or the candy store on Hudson by the corner of Kennedy, at one time it was called "Tessie's"
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: Editor on April 20, 2010, 02:12:50 PM
There is a clue in this topic: "Memories of the Icehouse Gang (http://www.hackensacknow.org/index.php?topic=814.msg2395#msg2395)"

(mentions a woman named Tessie who lived on Hudson)
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: johnny g on April 21, 2010, 07:40:39 AM
That had to be the woman who had the store...i don't remember exactly what the address was but I lived a few doors down from there. Another one was a little store on the corner of Broadway and New St....i think the proper name was Broadway deli but everyone called it Vic's.
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: Editor on April 21, 2010, 08:47:28 AM
Here's one that's really old: Bogert's Candy Kitchen (http://www.hackensacknow.org/index.php?topic=883.msg2657#msg2657).

Growing up in the 70's and 80's, I would go to Aimees on Anderson or Fonti's on Main Street.  The ice cream truck (still in our neighborhood) was also great for candy.

Once in a while, we'd take the trek to Rocklin's in Teaneck.
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: HHS72 on April 21, 2010, 09:22:14 AM
In the 60's there was Jack's Candy Store at Poplar on the East side of the tracks. My Uncle told me of another Store at the North end of Main St (east side), on a small plot of land just off the  exit of Rt 4 (there's a for sale sign there now, who knows what could  fit on it). When there was a Lake for swimming and ice skating I gather this was the place to go.
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: Editor on April 21, 2010, 10:09:25 AM
The lake was probably Zabriskie's Pond.  George Scudder mentions the candy story in his Fairmount 1915 (http://www.hackensacknow.org/Fairmount2_1915b.pdf) paper.

Just a 100 feet or less from the Coles Brook, northern property line, Grand Avenue jutted off at about a 45 degree angle to the right and continued to Hackensack Avenue, a block over the railroad track . This left a triangular piece of land bounded by Main Street on one side, Grand Avenue on the other and Coles Brook on the north and easterly side. It was on this small triangular plot that the building promoters, who were trying to sell and develop this area, built a small real estate office. The name was either Hageman or Jermain. In later years this became a candy, soda and general refreshment store, operated at various periods of time by Browns, Thompsons, Westervelts, Youakims, Roogs. This area became known as "The End" because it was here that the trolley car line ended and the motorman would pull down the pole from the one end of the trolley and release the pole on the other end and guide the pulley onto the electric wire (Photo 7A).  At this point, to the left could be viewed Zabriskie's Pond, (photo #8) this picture used on Society of Fairmount Friends letterhead, with its spillway dam on the southern end and on the northern end the whell gate for opening and closing the pond. In the distant on the north shore, about in line with where Lakeview Street is in River Edge, was the remains of a once well used ice house. (Photo #9 of sluiceway).
(page 10 of the .pdf)

And another candy store:

Proceeding north on the east side of Main, where Johnson Avenue now terminates and where a bank now stands, was Burlews Heal Estate office., (see photo # 4) followed by two houses and then tennis courts, then a couple of more houses and Kippels candy store in an old house on the southeast corner of Main and Voorhis. I remember, as a child, it was quite a few steps up the front, porch to get into the candy store. (page 5 of the .pdf)
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: Editor on April 21, 2010, 12:10:59 PM
Johnnyg: Someone in the know tells me that "Pizza's" was the one on Jackson Avenue.
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: johnny g on April 21, 2010, 02:19:44 PM
hmmmm...i'm not sure we're talking about the same one (or maybe it was called that at one time). the one i'm thinking of was right after Costa Bros, close to the corner of Lodi St i believe (or maybe closer to Pink St.) it was seen in the movie Jersey Girl, as the 3 girls walked out to Jackson Ave from behind it. if i remember correctly it had Pepsi decals all over the bottom of the building.
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: Chief Oratam on April 21, 2010, 08:40:19 PM



the movie Jersey Girl,

Never saw this Movie....i'll have to keep an eye open for it...Just to see the scenes you speak of Johnny G.....

But I must admit it dosn't sound like my type of movie from the title......
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: johnny g on April 22, 2010, 07:43:39 AM
There was a movie made a few years ago with the same title...the one i'm speaking of came out in the early 90's and starred Jami Gertz. It's a "silly love story" (not my kind of film either) but as a Hackensack resident it's fun to see all the old places.
I happened to be coming home one night and saw all the commotion going on over on Lodi St and got to see a scene get filmed, so that was fun.
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: Chief Oratam on April 22, 2010, 08:33:55 PM



There was a Candy Store at the top of Essex St...... called Breslow's....that I remember....

What a treasure trove, it was a luncheonette & they sold toys, candy, models, newspapers, mags, stationary goods, hardware items and much more.....this was the 60's and early to mid 70's.....(my memories)

I'm sure it was three in the 40's and 50's also...

It was in between Hill Top Liquors and the old Shop Rite that was there...

Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: Top of the Hill on April 23, 2010, 12:48:58 PM
About time somebody mentioned Breslow's. For a while I thought this site was just gonna become about the "flatlanders" in Hackensack.  :laugh: Chief, you summed up Breslows best, "treasure trove". Used to ride my stingray bike there to buy baseball cards, wrestling magazines, balsa gliders and rubber band wind up planes, "pinky" Spaulding balls to play curb or stoop ball.... buy a soda at the counter and get the cone paper insert cup in the metal holder. Breslows was old school. The awning out front that cranked open, the newspaper racks out front with the bricks used as paper weights.  Used to steal the shopping carts from Shop Rite to deliver our newspapers. 
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: johnny g on April 23, 2010, 02:26:19 PM
Breslow's must have been before my time, but it sounds like the kind of place I would have liked!
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: Chief Oratam on April 26, 2010, 08:55:12 PM
Johnny g,  I remember a candy store on Hudson St. a little south of Kennedy St.

It was ran by a guy Named Louie....nice guy, I used to stop there for Cigarettes and things in the 70's & 80's....I know it was his Mothers before he got it ....Tessie's
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: johnny g on April 26, 2010, 09:42:43 PM
Oh yes, Louie and Gina...Louie and my dad were good friends from the time we moved there till my dad passed away. My dad and a whole crew of guys used to hang out there on saturday afternoons, eat sandwiches in the back, watch sports, etc.
They were great people...I didn't realize that Tessie was his mom, that was before my time.
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: kduerr53 on June 27, 2011, 11:06:52 PM
I worked at Breslow's in 1968, 69, and part of 70. Worked behind the counter. Irving and Dave Breslow were the operators, Irv's sons Gary & Gordon also worked there at the time that I did. I remember the paper cone soda fountain cups fitting into the metal holders, also the plastic coffee cups fitting into the cup inserts. Dave and Irv were great guys. Their mother (Rose), also known as Old Lady Breslow, used to come into the store and drive them out of their skulls. Cheeseburgers were 35 cents, hamburgers were 30 cents. Theye didn't sell hot dogs or fries. Magazine rack was right behind the counter stools and so was an old fashioned "top double sliding door" ice cream chest. What special memories !!
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: chadshere on August 03, 2011, 08:16:08 AM
I have a picture of the original counter with the soda fountains of Vic's in my hackensack street tours pics pt 2 on facebook. I was there about a month ago and went inside and it's a different place now but the lady told me they kept the original soda fountains.  There was also a candy store on fair st between essex and kansas with sawdust on the floor and the ladies who ran it were Miss Angelina and her daughter Miss Josie, and they lived upstairs..I think one of their children's name was Angela...i forget their last names but im sure they were italians.  I miss them..
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: WarrenG on August 06, 2011, 06:53:17 PM
Down the hill on Essex St. there was another candy story just past the Hackensack line in Maywood.  It was just past the tracks and across from Modell's.  Anyone remember it?  Small store, strip stores, on the right side near the tracks...

Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: just watching on August 07, 2011, 07:54:37 AM
I lived in Maywood 3 blocks from that store in the late 60's and early 70's.  My mother used to send me there, as a little kid, to buy her cigarettes. They had no problem selling cigarettes to a 7-year old kid.  Trying to remember the name, I'll ask her.
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: Long Ago on November 30, 2015, 05:22:42 PM
Breslow’s was one of my favorite places to go as a youngster during the late 1940s and early 1950s.  I know the store was there as early as 1946.  My mom would often shop at the Grand Union grocery store a few doors to the east on Essex St., and if I was with her I could usually persuade her to take a detour to Breslow’s.  :)

At that time the entry to the store was through a somewhat dilapidated screen door and then through an old front door. The cash register and luncheonette were to the right of the doors as you entered (east side) and the newspapers and magazines were at the rear of the store on the left side (west side).  The rest of the store had counters of merchandise that appealed to kids.  The store was usually busy on weekends, especially the luncheonette crowd on Sunday mornings.

Some of the items I would buy occasionally were rubber balls, paddle balls, kites, yo-yos, and balsa wood gliders.  The items I would nearly always buy with my weekly allowance were Topps baseball cards.  I kept the cards and usually threw away the bubble gum.  I remember other collectable cards that were also available from year to year such as wild west cards and U.S. license plate cards.

Regarding store personnel, it is interesting that kduerr53 mentioned an Old Lady Breslow.  I don’t remember her, but I do remember a person called Old Man Breslow.  He was a thin, elderly, bald man who could often be seen scurrying between the luncheonette and the cash register.  It seemed to me that he was always quite busy.  I also knew one of the Breslow boys who used to live on Sutton Ave.  He used to say his father worked at “our store,” but I’m not sure what his exact relationship would have been to Old Man Breslow.
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: gordon Breslow on November 13, 2017, 08:51:17 AM
      I remember Breslow's Luncheonette like it was yesterday.  I believe that my Grandparents Morris and Rose rented the middle store back around 1928.  There was a grocery store and a beauty parlor in the other two stores.  When the grocery store went out, my grandparents bought the building and knocked out the wall between the 2 stores and made M. Breslow and Sons the way I had remembered it.  My father Irv and my Uncle Dave ran the store for over 50 years.  My twin brother Gary and I and our older brother Charles worked there after school for years.  We would come in early on Saturday to fold the newspapers.  I also remember another kid Sal "Tubby" Garofalo that worked early in the morning folding newspapers and did tasks around the store.  We would work behind the counter cooking whatever was on the menu.  One of my favorites was the Taylor Ham and eggs.  Tey sold just about everything that you could possibly need.  We had candy, Bordens Ice Cream, Stationary, comic books, toys, greeting cards and cigarettes & cigars.
Title: Re: Old Candy stores
Post by: Editor on July 12, 2018, 02:10:01 PM
Anybody remember Fine Stationary (maybe Fein) owned by Charlie. It was on Main Street, near Lido.

Someone at the office is asking. Would have been late 60's early 70's.  In addition to stationary, they sold candy, toys, etc.