A “for sale” sign on a longstanding business stands out when it’s seen on a drive along Long Beach Boulevard, so this week’s column begins with a conversation with the DeFiglio family about future options for the grocery in Ship Bottom, which was heavily damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
The property is listed for sale by real estate agent Sean Adams of RE/MAX at Barnegat Bay. Third-generation store operator Anthony DeFiglio granted our request to give insight into the decision. He sent the following message:
“If you’ve been coming down here for a while, you might remember when DeFiglio’s Market was known as an IGA. If you have been here a long time, you remember the days when we were a Foodtown, which my grandfather built in 1972. And if you are lucky enough to have spent a long life with ties to Ship Bottom, you might remember Mills Market, a small general store that Charles S. DeFiglio bought and ran as a seasonal store in the early 1960s.
“We have been here a long time, and have been an important part of the community through all the changes. Lately, we’ve been reminded that the changes don’t stop, even if we wish they would.
“As is the case for most of us, dealing with the insurance companies is proving to be difficult and time-consuming, with an uncertain outcome. It is possible that there will not be time to get this resolved in order for us to rebuild and open for the coming season. Bearing this all in mind, we have listed the property in an effort to keep open as many options as possible.
“It would be sad not to be here. It would be sad not to be doing what we have done for 50 years: serving the community, our friends and neighbors, our valued customers. There has been interest from several different parties, with different ideas of what would be a good business for the space. It is important for us to find someone who has the resources to rebuild in a manner that benefits the community, cares deeply about the community, and provides a service that is needed. I have to do what is best for my family, but I also want to do what’s best for the community.
“If our market ends up in different hands, we will always have our memories and be eternally grateful to our customers who supported us all these years.”
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Coming Openings
March Forward
Good news of business rebounds from Sandy arrives from up and down the Island this week, carried by Facebook posts, the newest way of getting the word out well in advance.
Raimondo’s is spreading the word that “We are back!” with a note on the side, “Take that, Sandy!” The grand reopening is this Thursday, Feb. 28, at 4:30 p.m. Reservations were strongly recommended, with “strongly” in capital letters. Owner/chef Raymond Hughes has operated the Ship Bottom restaurant since 1991.
At Barry’s Do Me a Flavor on Centre Street in Beach Haven, “the fish is back on the wall,” said the posting last week with a picture of the huge swordfish that’s as big as most customers. That is a huge net gain for the south end. Friends on the page said they can’t wait for the fish tacos along with the ice cream. No specific date was announced yet, just a promise for the season.
Crust Crumb Bakery in Beach Haven is resurfacing from 60 inches of water – but “elephant ears” are bigger than that. The bakery with its famous pastries hopes to be open by late April or early May. A photo of the unheard-of inundation in its section of Bay Village is on the bakery’s Facebook page.
The Black Whale Bar Fish House plans to rejoin the Island’s favorite restaurant and RR bar experiences Thursday, March 7, according to a post on its Facebook page last week. The address is 100 North Pennsylvania Ave. in Beach Haven, for new customers who need to tell their GPS.
Here’s one for dog lovers: Leanne Wuest, of The Labrador Store More in Haven Beach, tells us, “My store is ready for the new season – I have some great new merchandise coming. I am looking forward to a great season.” The starting point for now is weekends, with expanded hours as the season goes on.
Song of the Sea posted last Saturday that it was the last two days of the store’s temporary location in the Manahawkin Mart shoppes, and that it “smells like summer in Bay Village,” where Country Kettle Fudge and Country Kettle Chowda were back (see story, this issue.) On Tuesday, the gift shop was assembling, with fans posting “OMG, I can’t wait.”
Stories of people helping people extend to businesses helping people. The Good Life gift boutique in Surf City donated $1,000 to the Surf City Volunteer Fire Co. and EMS, and $4,000 to Jetty/Waves for Water.
And that’s just a few lines of good news that were prominently cast out there on social media. Check The SandPaper ads each week for more. Businesses can feel free to send a note to this column via mariascandale@thesandpaper.net
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Cake That
On “Cupcake Wars”
Cake That! owner Jessica Bartlett wasn’t allowed to say anything until a week before the show, but now the time is here – she’ll be on the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 3, on Comcast channel 38.
She flew out to California last July and competed against three other teams – with which of her fabulous flavors?
“Well, that I can’t say!” she answered with an upbeat laugh. When family and friends watch the show with her at the shop in the Manahawkin Mart on East Bay Avenue, it’ll be the first time she’s seen the final footage herself. “They shot 18 hours of film.”
At the suggestion of fans, she had submitted a video to the show; that’s the first step in the process. “They say film yourself for two minutes and we’ll check you out and see if you’re worthy of television,” Bartlett said. The show’s team got back to her right away.
Allie Sillitoe, 20, a culinary student at Atlantic Cape Community College’s Academy of Culinary Arts, is a lead baker in the shop and was Bartlett’s assistant in the televised competition.
Asked if the contest was fun or stressful, Bartlett says both.
“I used to be a makeup artist in New York City, and I had worked in very high-profile situations before, so I’m not a stranger to stress, but this was definitely the most stressful thing I’ve ever done. But I said that if I got on the show, I’ve already won, and it was a good experience.”
Were the results sweet? We’ll have to watch and see. And go to the shop and taste for ourselves. See Cake That!’s Facebook page for flavors of the week.
mariascandale@thesandpaper.net