Author: Jgknjlapk

I woke up on June 1st and realized…I didn’t have to go to work! Wow! No stress, no long drive, shopping center hours and no responsibilities. No store. Yet. That short lived sense of calm would not last very long of course. A few days off to relax after the hectic store closing and moving would be all that I had. This summer would be busy, busy, with construction on the new location. It would be myself and a few friends taking on the task to be ready by August 1st. I was using all of the same jewelry cases, minus a few, so that was a big hurdle overcome in the time constraint. Plus, I had to wait on the landlord to finish his work making the property code compliant with a new bathroom and HVAC. This would inevitably slow me down.

Meanwhile, another issue had kept me busy while I was handling the new store. My cousin John, about eight years older than me, wasn’t a blood cousin but my family was so close to his that we called his parents Aunt Jane and Uncle Dick. Uncle Dick was a huge mentor to my father in business and in life. They were very close. Growing up, our families spent many summers together on Long Beach Island at the Jersey shore. Our family history started on the island with a business relationship between the Tuckerton Lumber Company and my Dad and Uncle Dick. The latter being accountants for the business. John Sooy was like a big brother to me, his brother Rick too. I looked up to them growing up with their great cars, friends and so many girlfriends. So many memories listening to the great music of the sixties and seventies on the car radio when John would give us rides in his bright yellow 69 Chevy Chevelle. It had black letters on the trunk that read…”I am curious”…on it. Look it up..lol. Every Christmas Eve, The Sooy’s would be at our house for our big annual holiday party and John would also spend a lot of time at our house year round. His best friends were great guys too. John Scala, Bob Hawk, his brother Ricky. All too funny. Every friday night, my Dad would bring hardshell crabs home after work and John would be there among many other friends. A mini town hall, no topic was off of the table. Especially, the Philadelphia Flyers. My Dad and John split season tickets for the home games at the Spectrum. We all loved Hockey…in case you didn’t realize that yet! John had became a wonderful teacher in his chosen field. He worked with children who had disabilities and were challenged for his whole career. As we got older, we spoke occasionally, less than I would have liked. Life, work and family became my priority. John never had kids. He had so many that he taught and mentored that it really didn’t matter. His longtime love “Bobbie” kept him busy too. She was a great person and a big horse lover. They were her kids.

John had cancer. A terrible gastrointestinal disease that ravaged him after many hard fought years. This summer, we would reconnect. After many years of off and on communication, he was surviving mostly on his own. He and Bobbie had a falling out and John was living alone in the house they had purchased together years before. He looked awful. John was not a big guy. Small in stature, he had lost so much weight. He wasn’t eating much and although Bobbie was trying to help him, he pushed her away with his bad moods and attitude. He was dying. Lori would make him food for a week and I would drop it at the house for him. Sometimes, he wouldn’t come to the door so I would just text him to let him know that I dropped it off. He barely ate it. I would always find the containers neatly packed in his fridge. I contacted Bobbie and convinced her that he needed full time care. She was the only alternative to care for him as he deteriorated. She agreed and moved back in to take care of him whether he liked it or not. As the summer wore on and I built my new store, trips to John’s house would be the norm. I cherished our visits while we rehashed our past, talked politics and music and hockey. He was family, blood or no blood. As the cancer took its toll on John, I picked him up a mini refrigerator for his bedroom. He had a very difficult time using the stairs and weighed about eighty pounds. We laughed as he got mad at me and had me move the refrigerator about six times until it was in the exact position he wanted it in. Pudding and juice. That was all that he wanted. Not too long after that day, I had dropped in to check on him and he was mostly incoherent. Barely able to move, he opened his eyes slightly and gave me a smile. He knew I was there. A few hours after I left, I got a call from Bobbie that John had passed. Very sad. Too young, cancer claimed another great person. RIP brother.

On another note, as I write this memoir… I saw a Facebook post yesterday, posted by a friend. It was a link to an obituary for the daughter of one of his friends. I clicked on the father’s link and scrolled down, reading the many posts chronologing the young girl’s fight to survive. From a December 2021 diagnosis to her passing this week of May 2022. I felt the parent’s pain and cried while I read about their daughter’s trials and tribulations. All too familiar. The huge ups and downs and eternal optimism. In the end, a story too short and a life taken too young… Leukemia left its mark on yet another beautiful soul and her family. May she rest in peace.

Next Up: Grand Opening

While all of the drama with Joe was now in the rear view mirror and all was well with the world, it was decision time for me. The lease for Belaggio Jewelers was now up and ending on May 30th,2016. My business location, home away from home for the last sixteen years, was up for renewal. My landlord sent me a letter offering another five year extension with a large initial increase in rent and a five percent per year increase on top of that. Were they crazy? I was paying too much already! In addition, the surrounding neighborhood was in decline and I worried constantly about our future safety and business in general. This offer was unacceptable and I was forced to make a life changing decision. After twenty six years on Cottman Avenue, Belaggio Jewelers would be closing its doors in the City of Philadelphia and moving to the burbs. This was big.

I had my eye on a store in Warminster Pennsylvania in Bucks County. Only about fifteen minutes from my home in Doylestown, the store was in an older shopping center but at one of the busiest intersections around. I liked the location because it was right next to a very busy Dry Cleaners. Lots of traffic. The store was small and needed a complete renovation. It had been empty for six years. The rent was perfect though. It would be my seventh location. A whole new start, forty five minutes north of Cottman Ave. Negotiations went well with the new landlord and 620 York Road was now the new location for my store. So much work to be done.

Work began immediately on the “Going out of Business/ Moving sale”. Signs were put up in the windows, advertising in the local papers initiated and everything priced to move. I needed to move a lot of inventory. Raising cash and reducing my inventory would be key right now. I had to be ready to shut down at the end of May and start construction right away on the new location. Of course, the construction would be done by “Yours Truly” along with my cohorts in the trades. To have friends in the trades is a beautiful thing. To be experienced in construction yourself, even better. You know of my past work doing construction and tenant fit-ups. I always built my own stores. This would be no different. Here goes nothing!

Our last three months at the store went beautifully. The sale was a huge success. We moved a lot of inventory and raised a comfortable amount of capital to be able to move forward. I was projecting an opening date for the new store of August 1st. Sixty days after closing the Philly doors. Ambitious, eh? I enlisted the help of some strong young men and a big Ryder truck to complete the clean out of the old store. It took about a week to dismantle the showcases and clean the place out. We transported everything that I would be reusing up to Warminster in a few trips. Actually a lot of trips. After everything was completed, I took a few pictures of the empty space and a selfie by the front door. It was the end of an era. Twenty eight years of business in the City of Philadelphia. Kind of sad to walk away after all of those years. I locked the door and handed the keys to the mall security guard. Adios, my friend. It was nice knowing you.

Next Up: A Crazy Summer

The year was moving along at a rapid pace as our world was still revolving around Joe. Lori and I knew that leaving him up in Toronto at a Prep School might be a bad idea. Joe and school were like oil and water. A volatile mix. Sure, the hockey would be fine, but he had graduated high school already. Extra high school was going to be a tough go. Virtual torture for him. One month in and all was well. He was captaining the Varsity team and towing the academic line. At least we thought so. Joe was starting to feel a lot better. The antibiotics had done their job and the school fed him well. He was gaining strength and weight. Lori and I spoke with the coach and he felt that within three to four months Joe would be in much better condition to maybe move on and join a Junior team. He was very happy to have him and his skill on his squad for the season.

I was preparing for the fall at the store and the upcoming holiday season. Feeling good and fresh off of another annual successful blood test, the weight of the world was off of my chest for another year. Nick was doing great at Temple and working with a friend of mine in the Real Estate game, loving every minute of it. But Joe…c’mon bud. We got calls from the school headmaster, the coach, the junior coach from Ottowa and Joey. He had one day to vacate his dorm room. He was done. I couldn’t believe what was going on and needed to book him into a hotel room right away. Apparently, Joe wasn’t happy with his situation. He called a local GM for the Burlington Cougars in the Ontario Junior Hockey league and asked to skate with them. The Coach had him practicing with the team for a week and signed him to a contract. As soon as the school found out they went ballistic! Joe would begin playing games that weekend. Here we go again, another road trip to Canada. I wasn’t so sure that he was ready to play full time at that level yet. Let’s go Lor…might have to bring him home.

So now, we’re paying for a hotel for Joe until he passes muster and crossing our fingers that he stays put somewhere. Burlington is a nice town, a Toronto suburb to the west of the city. The Cougars played in a big arena with a packed crowd. I was so used to hearing the Canadian National Anthem, “Oh Canada”, I knew the words. The game, of course, was fast and furious. Joe played well for a player that was jumping in a month into the season. Hockey coaches use various systems of play that the longer you have practiced with the team, the more integrated you become. It takes time to acclimate to a new system. Anyway, he played well and we were relieved. If Joe lasted another week, the team would get him housing. Sunday’s game went well too. Until he took a puck to the groin. Blocking an eighty five mile per hour slapshot is a dangerous endeavor. One that Hockey players must endure. It’s part of the game. After a trip to the locker room for about fifteen minutes, he was back on the ice. Lori and I took him to dinner after the game. I could tell that he was still struggling. So could the trainer and the coach. We headed home only to find out that he would be released that week. It was a choice between the coach keeping Joe and allowing him the time to get up to speed or another player that was coming back from an injury that week and allowing him the time to heal while playing. That player was a veteran and Canadian. That’s the way it goes.

Lucky for Joe, the Burlington trainer really liked him and knew a GM that would really like him too. The next day he signed with another team. The GMHL was another Ontario Junior League. Not as prestigious or on the level of the OJHL but it was an offer of a full season, lodging and the chance to heal. The Orangeville Americans it was. About an hour north of Toronto and no chance of being released while he regained his form. I was able to go and watch him play in the league All-star game at the end of the season in the northern tundra of Canada. Meaford, Ontario…in a blizzard. They have banners of the Queen of England hanging in the arena. The two hour ride back to Orangeville in a Canadian whiteout is a story in itself. But he was finally happy. We were happy. The things we do.

Next Up: A Huge Decision

Two weeks flew by as the trip to the Nepean Raiders CCHL main team camp was here. Joey and I loaded up the car and headed north to Nepean, Ontario, Canada. I knew that he wasn’t ready for this. The stitches were recently removed from his forehead and he was still barely eating. In his frail state, there was no way that he would be able to perform in the manner needed to make a Canadian Junior Hockey team. As a parent it’s your job to back your child as best you can. This trip was expensive and very time consuming like most hockey trips. There was so much on the line for Joe. We could only hope for the best.

The tempo was fast and furious. A Junior team rosters about twenty two players. There were at least forty five fighting for a spot. Even if you had already signed a contract, like Joe, you could lose your spot with a bad performance. Unfortunately, this was the situation we were in. Coach Goulet called Joe in at the end of camp and offered him a position on his team in a lower division. There was no way that he was in shape to play at the top level in the CCHL. Joe was mad. Really mad. He turned Coach Goulet down on his offer and said that he would go elsewhere. In fact, he asked the coach to call other teams in the area whose camps were starting later. Ballsy move. He knew that Joey was hurting but as a GM he needed to do best for his organization. He called a few coaches to humor him and set Joe up with another tryout. I kept mum as I needed just to back Joe up. It was a terrible situation. One that he was never accustomed to. The next day we would be on our way to Pembroke.

The Pembroke Lumber Kings were about an hour and a half drive north. A storied and well known Canadian team, the Lumber Kings were always major competitors. The town of Pembroke bordered the Ottowa/Quebec line and was a blue collar, rugged place. It lived and breathed ice hockey. We met the GM and Coach, an NHL McCarthy brother, who was just as rugged as the town he coached in. He was a nice guy and must have been filled in by Coach Goulet, of course. I felt his compassion and thanked him after Joe made his way to the locker room. He told me that he had seen Joe play before and wanted to give him a shot. Thanks Coach. OMG. The first day of camp there was like a Navy SEAL hell week. Players were dropping like flies. All skating, the whistle never stopped. For two hours straight, a short break, then two more hours of hell. Joe held his own. I couldn’t believe it. That night in the hotel he collapsed in his bed and was out cold. Two more days to go. Oh boy.

I was so proud of him. After the third day of camp, he made the forty player cut. Amazing. His chances for making the final cut were very slim though. I knew that but his fight and determination were remarkable. The coolest thing was that the last day of camp, the players were divided into two teams that would play an exhibition game in front of almost two thousand people. Called the Red and White game, after the teams colors, fans of the Lumber Kings came from all over. The French speaking Quebec natives and Pembroke locals made for a dynamic audience. This game was a tradition for over forty years. What a game! The Pembroke fans got to see the veteran players and the new blood coming in. This was pure Canadian Hockey. Fast, rough, skilled and low scoring. The goalies were fantastic. Joey gave everything he had. But it wasn’t enough. After the game, Coach McCarthy talked with him and said that he played great. He also said that for what was going on the last two months, Joe should be proud of himself for his determination and will to overcome his illness. But…again, he needed to be ready to go now. And he wasn’t.

Back at the hotel, my phone rang with an unfamiliar number. I answered it and to my surprise it was another GM. The Kanata Blazers GM. Here we go again. Another camp and another disappointment. But this was different. He knew Joe wasn’t ready. He also knew how good Joe was pre Lyme disease and had an idea to get him in shape and potentially be able to play later in the season. His answer… a twenty thousand dollar a year school/sports academy run by another former NHL player. In Toronto. For free. Just attend some post grad classes and play hockey. Get back in shape. Build up your strength and weight. Sounded like a great idea. Back to Doylestown, pick up Mom, drive to Toronto, drop him off and wish him luck. I was exhausted….physically and mentally. I felt so bad for my son. “The things we do”, a familiar mantra for parents everywhere. For me, it meant so much more. For the kid that I thought I might never meet, and the other that I thought I might never see again…I would do anything for them. Anything.

Next Up: C’mon Bud

As the summer wore on, Joe was hanging on to hopes of a miraculous recovery from the Lyme disease that was weighing him down. He was losing a lot of weight. Barely eating, food just had no appeal to him. Fevers were a daily occurrence, especially later in the evening. The “Chowder Cup” in Boston was approaching quickly and Joe was not going to be ready. The second and last prestigious Ice hockey tournament of the summer was usually attended by the top players in the country and you played with the players that would most likely be on your Junior team. We had not informed Coach Goulet of Joe’s situation yet, hoping for a miracle. Joe begged me to let him go. It was such a sorry situation. Everything that he had worked for, for so long was in peril. We headed to Boston. I couldn’t deny him.

We got to the hotel that the team was staying at and checked in on Thursday evening. The first game was Friday afternoon and he would need a good night’s sleep. He had a very slight fever and I gave him Ibuprofen to help him control his temperature. The team was meeting for breakfast in the morning and Joe’s condition would be revealed. Coach Goulet was in shock! Joe was so skinny and pale. Coach took me aside and I filled him in. He was heartbroken. We all were. Joe played the game and held his own. It was a good start and a great feeling for him. Tomorrow is another day. We got some dinner and hit the hotel room early for Joe to rest. He needed it. Saturday was not a good day. Joe was running a high fever and we had to stay back at the hotel room to his dismay. There was no way that I was going to let him play. Coach Goulet understood fully. Liquids, rest, sleep and more Ibuprofen. Hopefully, Sunday he would be good to go.

The next morning Joe was feeling much better with no fever and had some breakfast. We made our way to the arena for what was a very big game to end the tournament. Nepean was playing another top Junior team and players were jostling for Main Camp positions and invitations. Joe was already signed at this point but things were quite tenuous now with his illness. This game was just great. The teams were flying, huge checks, a few goals and Joe was right in there. Until…well. He picked the puck up at the Blue Line at full speed and tore down the ice. He approached the first defenseman and made a great move right to left and cut horizontally towards the slot. At that moment, a huge defenseman hit him forehead high with his elbow. Full speed. The crowd gasped as I tried to see what happened. Joe jumped up and headed right to the bench. He was bleeding profusely from his head. The trainer grabbed him and removing his helmet, placed pressure on the wound. No penalty called by the officials. Coach Goulet went ballistic on the referee, grabbing Joe by the jersey to stand him up and show the blood pouring down his face. The coach vaulted over the boards, getting in the refs face screaming at him while Joe was tended to. It was he first time that the coach was ever ejected from a game in his twenty five year coaching career. And Joey? After the trainer got him patched up, he undressed and we got right in the car for a five hour ride back to Pennsylvania and directly to Doylestown Hospital where Lori would meet us. It only took seventeen stitches to close the gash. The ER doctors also did a head CT to make sure that he didn’t have a major concussion. Lucky for Joe, it would just be another scar to add to his repertoire.

Next Up: Main Camp And Beyond

Spring of 2014 was all about Joe. Between the store, the auctions and trips to Boston and Canada, it was hectic as hell. Nick had settled into the Temple life in the city quite effortlessly. After a first full year of living away, Joey had assimilated into the Junior hockey lifestyle. There were a few hitches though. Lori and I went out to visit him in Indiana in October towards the beginning of the season to watch him play. He was staying with the Black family. They had one 10 year old son and three younger daughters. A hockey family, Mr. Black coached the local club hockey team and High School team. Joe became the big brother, babysitting and ferrying them all over a lot. He didn’t sign up for that but a Billets job is to become part of the host family. Dad was a police officer and mom a nurse. A quiet Midwestern couple. Nice fit. We watched a three game stint where Joe scored the overtime goal in the final game to seal the win and the series. Not bad for a kid from Philly who had just turned seventeen. The average age on his team was nineteen to twenty. Especially, one twenty year old hockey phenom from Alberta, Canada. He was the nephew of the head coach. Coach was a long time NHL star. Joey really looked up to him for skill and guidance. The season went well although but he really missed us. And we him.

We took another trip out to see Joe in the winter, around Presidents weekend, but something had changed. The Captain Canadian phenom looked thin and haggard. He went from being the leading scorer in the Minnesota Jr. Hockey league, to barely making an impact on the team. This, in a six month time period. Strange. We met with Joe’s GM and Head Coach and they gushed over Joes improvement, skills and grit. Great to hear. We said our goodbyes and flew back home. Happy to be able to watch Joe again and hear good things, made our decision to send him away much easier. When Lori and I got home and called Joe to check in, I immediatly inquired about his team captain. He said that we would talk about it later. Ok bud. Love you, stay safe.

At this point there were only a few weeks left in the season. My next call to Joe did not go well. “Well Dad, our Captain is a heroin addict and he has been trying to push the stuff on our teamates”. “Including you”, I asked. “Yes, sir”. Ok then. Joe let me know that he had not taken part in the gestures but some teammates did. We hung up the phone and I immediately dialed his GM and Coach. This was a disgrace and I would have no part of it. Apparently, this was becoming evident and relevant to the team very quickly. In twenty-four hours, Joe was packed up and headed to Cincinnati where he was traded to the Cincinnati Swords at my behest. Immediately! He said his thank you’s and goodbyes and was on his way. A new team, a new billet family and a fresh start away from the dire situation in Dyer, Indiana. His new home was in Kentucky. I didn’t realize that Ohio and Kentucky were just one bridge apart. News to me! Anyway, Joey scored an end to end goal on his first shift of the game, dissecting the other team and their goalie. Joe’s new coach didn’t like that and labeled him a superstar, too good for himself. Funny,..Joe left to come home the next week. Wasn’t his thing with that coach. I watched his phone tracker as he decided to drive home at seven o’clock on a Sunday night. Thirteen hours straight. I got no sleep. Crazy, eh?

The 2013-14 season in the Mnjhl was a warm up for what would be his first year in the CCHL..The Central Canadian Hockey League. The Nepean Raiders in Nepean Ontario had invited him to their spring camp in April for a week. Joe and I headed up to his first big time Junior tryout. This was a big deal because Canadians really don’t like American players broaching their border to try to earn a spot. That spot is for a Canadian! So be it. Let’s go Joey! The Gm/ Head Coach was a burly man named Peter Goulet. A Canadian gentleman and well versed in the coaching and picking talent for the team. He really liked Joey’s speed and grit. Joe didn’t let him down. He lit it up! Four days of flying around the ice, big hits, big boys and some heavy scuffles. He could handle it. In fact, he amazed the gallery many times with his speed and stickwork. At the end of camp, Joe was invited to play on the Nepean Boston Pre-Draft team in May. The top Junior players in the US and Canada. Tons of tournament style teams made up of College level players, players already signed to big University teams. A big deal and experience. The tournament was coming up in May and it was there that GM Goulet would begin to sign his team.

As May was approaching and the PreDraft tournament around the corner, my boy was working out and skating as often as possible to be ready. This was big for him. A chance to prove him worthy of Canadian acceptance and a spot on the team. He aced the test. Played great! Almost won the final game by stealing the puck and splitting two D1 defenseman and just missing the winning goal towards the end of the game. The Giant Harvard committed goalie missed Joe’s shot but it clanked off the post, one quater inch away from glory! Goulet was impressed and later that day, Joe signed his first Canadian Junior Hockey contract for the 2014-15 season. In the coaches hotel room. I was so proud of him. In August, he would still have to prove himself at the Main Camp to earn a starting position on the team. He was So proud, So pumped, So focused and So ready to prove himself worthy of his place on a Canadian Junior team!

As the summer wore on, Joe spent time in the gym, the rink, and at his job. Working for Buckingham Auto Detail in Doylestown, Joe became a master detailer, working on high end cars, personal vehicles and dealer cars. He loved that type of work. Physical, gritty, exotic and it payed very well. Sometimes the boss would ask the guys to do extracurricular activities if needed. Joe and a coworker were summoned to do some landscaping on the owners home. They didn’t mind. It turned out to be a decision that would terribly and devastatingly alter Joe’s hockey career.

August was approaching rather quickly and Joe was in top form and ready for camp. Lean and muscular. Confident as hell. About six foot tall and 175 lbs. Just right. And Quuuiicckk! Omg. About six weeks before that camp in mid August, Joey came home looking very tired and not feeling well. Something wasn’t right. We got him to bed, gave him some Ibuprofen and hot tea. He had a slight fever on top of everything. Within a few hours, that slight fever was peaking at 105.5 degrees and Joe was green. We were trying to cool him down with washcloths but that wasn’t working. Time to get him to the ER. I drove him to Doylestown Hospital as quickly as I could and he was seen immediately. The nurses took bloodwork and started an IV to get fluids and meds started. His blood counts were terrible and the fever worse. The ER doc wanted to give him a spinal tap to assess the situation. But wait! A little blond female doctor walked in and asked for a minute to assess him. She told Joe to roll onto his belly and stretch his arms and legs out. There it was. Like a beacon pointing the way. A large red and purple 🎯 Bullseye on the back part of his knee. About three inches in diameter, plain as day. Joe was in the grip of Lymes Disease. And it was bad. He would have to get testing for the disease and remain hospitalized for a few days until the diagnosis was confirmed and treatment started. He was a very sick boy. Thanks Buckingham. Only if he had stuck with the car detailing.

A four week regimen of heavy antibiotics beat him up. He had no appetite and lost forty pounds. How sad. In two weeks after the medicine regimen was complete, he had another tournament and then the main camp tryouts. No practice, no workouts, no weights and no luck. This really sucked. Joe was sad and worried but he was a tough cookie. He would muster every little bit of energy that he had left…and begged me to let him play. He looked emaciated. Get better son. We shall see.

A Footnote: The Captain of Joe’s Indiana team, from Canada, actually earned a hockey/academic scholarship to a Chicago University. He was a force for his team in the beginning until he relapsed into his addiction and died of an overdose before his first season ended. Such a waste. A phenomenal talent. Life cut short by addiction. May he rest in peace and leave a lesson for those who knew him. Hockey Good…Drugs Bad…Very sad.

Next Up: A Valiant Attempt

So, many people ask you about life after cancer. You know my take on “The Rock” and the devastating consequences of relapse. Having CML for over seventeen years, I don’t really know about life after cancer. I know life in remission while the cancer dwells below waiting to offer some cruel attempt to disrupt my world again. Right now Gleevec is my savior. A force field surrounding the bad proteins that lie in wait. I know now that the way that I live with cancer is to live, love and expand my horizons. Well, somewhat expand them. Nothing dangerous you know. My next expansion would be for fun. No more stress. An adventure. A distraction. I’ve had Leukemia for seventeen years but I’ve been self employed for twenty five. Diversions were needed. Ie: The Hoagie diversion. It was short, sweet and a ton of hard work. The next one had to be fun, not overly time consuming. Still had to run my business. What about…treasure hunting?

My favorite TV show at the moment was Storage Wars. I mean c’mon! Who didn’t love that show. Modern day treasure hunters, jousting and bidding and chirping each other to win a ten by ten corrugated steel box full of stuff. Yep…stuff! Multiple personalities affixed on getting in the winning bid to earn the chance to strike it rich! I was all in. All in.

My first auction was in Elkins Park, PA. A large storage facility that held their auctions once a month and open to the public. Cash only, registered bidders only, gates open at 10 am and all winning bids needed to remove the contents of the locker within 24 hours. There were so many unique individuals at these events. Thrift store owners, treasure hunters, curiosity seekers and eBay sellers. Or guys like me. Greenhorns with no clue of what we were getting into. I didn’t know that you needed a flashlight! When they cut the lock off of the storage unit and lift the gate, you have a few minutes to make your way through the crowd to peak in at all the goodies that were hiding in the unit. The dark unit. You can’t cross the doorway line or be aggressive in any way or you got booted from the auction. Flashlights were key. Big strong ones especially. I sat back and watched as the auctioneer rattled off his bids while hands flew all around me. You had to be quick. Raise your hand, nod your head, let out a yup or wave your hand high if you were in the back. There were at least 40 plus bidders jammed into a tight hallway. It was mayhem. But it was glorious! This was great! “I hear $300…do I hear $325? $300 going once..going twice….SOLD to the man with the Phillies cap”. Amazing!

As we moved from locker to locker, I was ready to go. The door rolled up and there she was. A 10 x 10 unit packed to the gills. Not a lot of room to see everything that was packed in there. What the hell. I’m going for it. The bidding was fast and furious but in the end my $500 bid held firm. “Sold to the new guy! Congrats!” I also had no clue that you had to have your own Master locks to secure your winning unit. Rookie. The next morning, I met a friend with a large truck at the facility and we began to unload my treasure. A refrigerator, a washer and dryer, living room furniture, beds, mattresses, clothes, books, lamps…etc. There was a whole house packed in there. You name it. Kitchen appliances, tools, personal items, jewelry, holiday decorations and so much more. Funny thing is that you unwrap someones whole life. And it can be sad too. You decipher the situation at hand. This family, the father, got deported to Central America and packed up their life’s belongings until things could be straightened out with Immigration. Apparently, this took way too long and the family stopped paying on their storage unit. Hence, the forfeiture and auction. We emptied the locker and transported the booty to my huge empty basement for evaluation. The next weekend I held a garage sale and turned a nice profit. Success and a lot of fun. I learned to gather all of the most personal items left like photos, important paperwork and items that were familial in nature. Boxed up, I would return them to the facilities to be returned to the owners. Purchasers information was always kept confidential so I wasn’t worried about anything coming back to me.

The worst buy I ever made was a unit in Huntington Valley, PA. I payed a thousand dollars for a unit that held the contents of a former television repair shop. There were showcases, cash registers, display equipment and the hook…20 plus big screen TV’s! I hit the jackpot! Not! NONE of them worked! 20 plus, various sized, big screen flops. And I had to unload the unit. Big loss. Ouch! That’s how I learned. I also learned the game. I never bid. As the auctioneer belted out his shpiel, I realized that every time I would bid and got countered, if I kept bidding I was just raising the price. Stupid! So, I waited. If I wanted the locker, I waited. When the bidding reached the end and the auctioneer called out his last…going once…going twice………..YUUUP! I jumped in! If someone countered, I countered back right away. Intimidating eh? I got really good. The circuit was well traveled, well attended and well acquainted. They Hated Me! All of the bidders were anxious when I arrived. They never knew when I was going to jump in and ruin their day. I was winning so many auctions that I needed my own storage facility. Joey’s friends would help me load and unload my treasure. Some of the cooler items that I won were…three classic restored motorcycles, a 72 Harley Davidson Sportster, a cell phone store of 10 beautiful glass showcases with boxes of cell phone accessories and cases of inexpensive quartz watches. Forty five ounces of pure .999 silver bars. Tons of appliances, furniture, tools, Cd’s and records, wedding dresses, golf clubs, money, clothes galore, musical instruments and mounds of books. You name it. And it all sold. Well most of it. I did buy several blind units that went from unit to dumpster. I never hit it big though. Nobody was getting rich quick. Trust me. But I had fun. Enormous fun. A diversion from the stress of the real world. I was lucky to have my staff at the store fill in for my flights of fancy. And my wife to just put up with me. Thanks, Lor.

Next Up: Bullseye

Fall of 2012 would be a hectic experience. Nick was off to Wilkes University, Joe traveling all over in his second year of Junior hockey and Lor doing her thing. Me? Working my ass off. Selling diamonds, buying gold and making hoagies. It was crazy. Business was rolling at the store and DiNuzios was holding its own.

We rolled through the Christmas season like a well oiled machine. The crew was experienced and as usual there were no issues. Santa delivered. The crew in Quakertown was becoming well oiled too. Lol. Running a restaurant is a lot of work. Opening, prepping, ordering, making the food and closing/ cleaning up at the end of the long day. Everything usually came all at once. Lunch rush, calm, dinner rush, calm, closing rush, whew. Except Fridays. Fridays were dead. This was not good. Twelve hours of almost nothing. The Mart was a three day operation with only two days of customers. This really hurt the bottom line. Saturday and Sunday were usually very busy but there was another hitch. Most people only frequent farmers markets occasionally. Not every week. Therefore, we constantly had to hawk for customers to try our food. Sure, we had our regulars and made fans as soon as they tasted our product, but it was a grind. I also realized after a while, that to be successful in this environment, you had to be a mom and pop operation. Literally. If you couldn’t be working the restaurant yourself, with family, your profits were going solely to your employees. There just wasn’t room to make money. At least not the money that I was looking for. I really enjoyed my stint for the year but enough was enough. My lease was ending in August of 2013 and I put DiNuzios up for sale. The turnover was quick and easy. The right price had me walk away leaving everything for the next owner to take his shot. Goodbye Quakertown. Goodbye fabulous Hoagies. Time to take a break. I really don’t miss it though. My family can’t wait for Super Bowl and any occasion that I whip up those amazing sandwiches.

Joey and I had taken a trip to Toronto in the interim. A big invitational tournament where he would again impress and was invited to tryouts in Ottawa and Chicago for the Minnesota Junior Hockey league and the Central Canadian Hockey League. Both trips went very well and Joe was signed to play in the MNJHL in Indiana and invited back to the CCHL for the season after when he would be 18 and old enough to be eligible to play in Canada. So, we had two road trips that summer. One, to take Joe to live in the Midwest and attend his senior year of High School while playing hockey. Two, to go pick Nick up in Wilkes Barre. He decided, two weeks into his sophomore year, after a very successful first year at Wilkes, that his passion for Real Estate was more than that of Dentistry. Oh well, we’ll see how that goes. His transfer to my college Alma mater…Temple University to the Fox School of Business, went seamlessly. We left all of the furniture that we rented a U-Haul to take up to his new apartment at Wilkes two weeks earlier for his roommates to keep. I’m sure he will do great.

As far as Jeff goes… all quiet on the Leukemia front. Gleevec was doing its job keeping the cancer at bay. I needed another project to latch onto. Something fun. Not so much work. YEPPPP!!

Next Up: They Hated Me

Sometimes I make business decisions solely on what I’m feeling in my heart and not my head. For better or for worse, “Sometimes” is a very common occurrence. I have always looked out for the betterment of my customers. Many other members of the Jewelry owner community, not so much. It was never my intention to create monstrous profit through price gouging the public and it never will be. That being said, I can say that I sleep at night knowing that I have done my best to have the complete and utmost trust of my following. Being comfortable finally in the unusual “Gold Rush” streamlined situation at the store, I had free time to entertain my passion for making amazing Hoagies and Steak sandwiches. Where did the name “DiNuzios Hoagie House” come from? Well, It just popped in my head one day watching NCIS…”DiNuzio”… “DiNozzo”. Sounded like a great Italian name! The Quakertown Farmers Market was open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so I figured that three days a week wouldn’t kill me. Wrong. When I got back from Florida, I went full go on the construction to implement my culinary dream. Auctions for kitchen equipment, seating and accessories took a lot of time. And a lot of bucks. Having my background in construction and store building helped a lot as I was able to GC and do most of the work with friends and myself. I opened up accounts with Liscios bread company, the best rolls, Dietz and Watson Meats and the Restaurant Supply superstore for all vegetables, spices, drinks, etc. September, 2012 was my opening date. Fast and furious was the pace and after Labor day we were on our way!

My friend and Florida cohort Billy Coulter was running the show. Cindy and other employees from Philly helped start us off. I was running back and forth from Cottman Ave working Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays. Back to a seven day a week grind. Thursday afternoons, I would work in the jewelry store until three, head to Pennsauken, NJ to the Restaurant supply store, load up for the week for Quakertown and drive the hour and twenty minutes up to unload the product. It was a long day. Friday was rinse and repeat, 9 to 9 minus the trip to Jersey. Saturday too. Sunday from 10 to 5….Monday a day off. Our grand opening was a major success! People loved our Steaks and Hoagies! The recipes that I learned back in Hatboro, plus my own culinary intuition and quest for perfection, crushed it! Making an Italian Hoagie is an art. The bread and the oil make the sandwich. Anyone can slap meat and cheese on a roll. The quality meats and cheeses have to be sliced thin- just right. The vegetables sliced perfectly thin too. The right distribution of everything on the roll and the perfect amount of oil and vinegar. MAYO? PLEASE!! FUGGEDABOUTIT!! Our oil was a special mix of two-thirds Virgin Olive Oil, one third Red Wine Vinegar and select spices mixed into a squirt bottle of “Wow”! There was the “Nicky Italian Classic” the “Cheesesteak Joe”, the “Mama DiNuzios Old Fashioned Italian”- a fan favorite! A Liscios seeded 10 inch roll, my special mix of Olive and Garlic Tapenaude, our famous Oil, Prosciutto, Genoa Salami, Romaine lettuce- gently pulled apart, Hot Capicola, Roasted red peppers and Crumbled Sharp Provolone cheese. A dash more of oil and Oregano and OMG! Is your mouth watering? Mmhhhmm.

We had The “Corned Beef Bernie”, the ” Pastrami Pete”- both on grilled Rye with Swiss cheeses and Cole slaw or sauerkraut respectively, the “Italian Roast Pork” with Broccoli Rabe and Roasted red peppers and Olive/Garlic Tapenaude dripping with Pork Juice. One Quarter pound Rib-Eye Cheesesteaks with melted American cheese or Wiz, wit or witout. French fries, onion rings, sides, a condiment bar. We had it all and it was marvelous. My son Nick says that he still can’t eat an Italian Hoagie from anywhere else! I was paying the price though. We sat up to sixty patrons and were full on Saturday and Sunday. My labor of love was a huge amount of labor. And stress. And miles. And $$$. The food business is freakin tough. Long hours, low markups, inventory turnover and management. A diamond is a million years old and always looks beautiful. A week old head of lettuce? Not so hot. There were so many challenges that needed to be overcome open just three days a week. Making incredible food is a great thing. Following your heart and being successful is another.

Next Up: One Tiring Year

The sense of major accomplishment overwhelmed me upon my return home from Florida. My goal achieved. Of course, there was more improvements to be made but overall the condo in Bradenton was complete. Ready to go for family, friends and eventually rental income. There was no rest for the weary. It was back to business, back to reality. I was impressed with the job that my employees were doing at the store. Business was brisk and the customers were all happy and very satisfied. That being said, my attention would be up in Quakertown Pa. where my next endeavor was taking shape.

Way back in the day, I had the honor of filling the bellies of the masses with delicious burgers, roast beef sandwiches and sumptuous French fries. I was a “Chef” at the famous Roy Rogers fast food restaurant in Abington, Pa. A high school paycheck and my first entry into the culinary arts…. I made a mean Double R Bar Burger, I must say! I also took part in a pilot program there for one of the first ever salad bars in the country. This was 1978 and our Roy Rogers was chosen by corporate to test out this new food concept. Exciting eh? Did you know that the perfect piece of Iceberg lettuce for a salad is one inch by one inch? I did. The paycheck wasn’t bad and I really enjoyed working the grill and making Roast beef sandwiches. I could have done without the cowboy hat and red paisley uniform though. I lasted there for about a year and a half. I quit after I was accused of stealing two thousand dollars from the office safe. Questioned by the Abington police, they concluded that I was the only one that worked there that was intelligent enough to pull it off. Really? Turned out to be the Bread delivery guy. The night manager forgot to lock the safe the night before and the deliveryman stole the cash receipts when he dropped his invoice off early the next day. Morons. After a stint serving up auto parts for another year and a half at Pep Boys auto parts, I landed a job at South Philly Steaks and Hoagies in Hatboro, Pa.

It was my freshman year at Temple University. Splitting classes between the Ambler and Center city campuses was like a full time job but I still needed cash flow to pay the bills. An accomplished ice hockey official at this point, I made a decent amount of cash refereeing men’s league hockey games on Friday and Saturday nights. I needed more. Enter ” South Philly Steaks and Hoagies” in Hatboro. The help wanted sign in the window stared back at me every time I passed by as I drove back and forth to the rink along York Road. Why not? It was a small Mom and Pop operation open for lunch and dinner, six days a week. The owner, an older Italian gentleman named “Wally” welcomed my offer to work there with open arms. Who wouldn’t? My experience at Roy Rogers was clutch! I also offered up the help of my good friend and officiating partner Mark Oswalt. He was also looking for some extra work at the time too. We would become a full time summer tag team at the shop doing prep in the morning and serving up delicious Hoagies and Steaks to the neighborhood for the lunch shift. I manned the Hoagie table, Mark and Wally the grill, and Wally’s wife the phones and walk in’s. I learned a lot there. Especially, the many recipes passed down through the owners family. I loved constructing the perfect Italian Hoagie. It was an art. A passion. And thirty three years later…a reality.

On a side note, I would like to extend my sincerest and heartfelt condolences to a lifetime friend whose husband battled cancer for the last ten years. He fought a valiant battle that ended last week when he passed from his disease. We ran into each other a few weeks ago, prior to his demise, at the supermarket and had a long conversation in the International foods aisle. Constantly repositioning our carts to accommodate the traffic, I listened and felt her pain while she told me about her husband’s decline and the issues facing them currently. The hospital and doctor visits, the Medicare drug issues, the finances, the pain and suffering, the new treatments and trials. Some semblance of hope too. Overwhelming. This is a caregiver. The wife or husband or partner or child whose life becomes centered and consumed with the care of someone they love so much who has cancer. An emotionally and physically draining endeavor, especially as the cancer progresses and decimates its victim. I hope that my friend finds peace in knowing that she did her best, gave her all and how incredibly special she really is…❤.

Next Up: “DiNuzios Hoagie House”