The oldest hot dog stand in New Jersey’s second-largest city was still standing on the last Wednesday of May.
Boulevard Drinks, on Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City, has operated in Journal Square since 1937. It was set to close on Wednesday, May 27, to make way for a 55-story tower with 840 residential units and a Whole Foods on the ground floor.
Victor Victoratos manages the business, which his family has owned since 1979. While helping customers, he told NorthJersey.com his lawyer sent a letter to the building’s current owner. The letter explains that the business has a lease for the space until 2034, made with the former owner, and will continue to be open.
“If there are any issues or any kind of problems, they have to take legal action with us,” Victoratos said. “We’re going to exercise the lease options that we have.”
He then deferred further comments to his attorney, Constantine Bardis. Bardis could not be reached for comment.
Jersey City resident Linda Bavosa — whose order was two hot dogs with sauerkraut; two with mustard, onions, and chili; and two with cheese, plus an orange drink — let out an emphatic “YES!” when Victoratos told her that her favorite eatery was planning to stay open as long as possible.
Kearny resident James Santomauro stopped by the Jersey City hot dog establishment, Boulevard Drinks, on Kennedy Boulevard, on May 27.
“We just want something left of Jersey City. Just regular people coming in, coming out, this is an institution,” Bavosa said. “Progress is great, but not when it hurts people.”
Kearny resident James Santomauro stopped by before his doctor’s appointment nearby. He said he was not too surprised that Boulevard Drinks was in danger of no longer being in its longtime home because of all the construction of the new buildings in the area. He hopes that it will remain in Jersey City.
“At least relocate. You don’t want to see it gone,” Santomauro said as he received his meal of a hot dog with chili, another with mustard and onions, and an orange drink.”
Donald Pepe, the attorney representing the developer, Nasser Freres, could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, neighboring businesses affected by the proposed high-rise and supermarket are facing their last stand.
Out of business
Village Jewelry, located next door to Boulevard Drinks, has had a handwritten sign in its display window for the past couple of weeks: “GOING OUT OF SALE. BIG SALE. EVERYTHING MUST GO SALE.”
Mimi Lee, who runs the jewelry shop, said the final day is May 29. She said ideally, she would fight the closure with neighboring businesses joining together to retain a lawyer. Other than that, it was over.
“We have to work together, but just one?” Lee said with uncertainty. “We would have to hire a lawyer. Can you find us a nice lawyer?”
JSQ Convenience, located next to Village Jewelry, also left no doubt for its customers about its future with signs posted on its exterior saying, “WE ARE MOVING BIGGER AND BETTER” to a location one block away. The employee working in the store said the business owner was not present to comment on the move.
A sign posted inside the Treasure Hunter store on Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City on May 27, as the discount outlet is one of the several closing to make way for a 55-story tower with 840 units and a Whole Foods store.
Employees and management at the other businesses impacted — Crescent Cohen’s Fashion Optical, McDonald’s, Lord’s Inc., Rainbow Shops, and Treasure Hunter — all declined or were not available to speak to a reporter about the future of their respective places of employment.
McDonald’s and Cohen’s Fashion Optical were still doing business as usual, but the signs inside and outside the other businesses spoke volumes. CLEARANCE SALE. $8.00 NOW $5.00. STORE CLOSING, 30% OFF. Customers entering Treasure Hunt were greeted by a recorded message coming out of a loudspeaker repeating, “Story closing sale. Come and get it. Come and get it.”
Some people on the street had plenty to say about the businesses closing.
Longtime Jersey City resident Janette Diaz was taking photos of the storefronts of Lord’s Inc. and Rainbow Stores, lamenting the closing of places where she shopped over the years.
“I used to buy my kids’ clothing here. I don’t know if it will be for the better,” Diaz said. “It’s sad. It’s really sad.”
Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com
Twitter/X: @ricardokaul
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Boulevard Drinks fighting proposed high-rise in Jersey City
