Restaurants come, and restaurants go.
Some — like the ones at the corner of the Post Road and Myrtle Avenue — changed so frequently, it’s hard to remember them all.
(Today it’s a William Pitt/Sotheby’s real estate office — oh well.)
But in July 1970, a new restaurant moved in: La Crêpe.
Two months later, this ad appeared in the Bridgeport Post:
Hmmmm…I wonder why Mr. Trupin wanted personal interviews only?
(Hat tip: Mary Palmieri Gai)
I gather that males and nonwhite women need not apply.
adw staples 1956
You ARE aware that there were prostitution arrests at La Crepe back in the day? And that Mr. Barry Trupin was more than a would-be restauranteur.
In fact, Trupin was a larger-than-life financier who at one point owned the largest house in the Hamptons, and was subsequently jailed for criminal tax fraud.
http://nypost.com/2003/11/01/castle-man-heading-to-ye-olde-jail/
http://www.danspapers.com/2014/08/barry-trupin-shark-tanks-french-castles-hostile-neighbors-and-scandal/
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/barry-trupin/
Dan, some day, I’ll tell you the story of another local financier of approximately the same vintage who disappeared back in 1966 — and whose Mafia-buried body was discovered 36 years later!
Who knew? Well, you did apparently, Peter. THANKS for this fascinating history. And here I thought this was just a minor post…
I remember my French teacher was working there…Not sure if she worked upstairs too 🙂
Ask me someday about the upstairs events………….
Okay, Tor, I’m asking now!
Years ago I was told by one of those “European background’ women about the second floor activities. For what it’s worth, I will stipulate that she strongly resembled La Crepe’s, um, serving suggestion in its newspaper job posting. At some point in the conversation I asked her about the suspicious fire that had done a real number on the place back in the day. Without hesitation, she replied that one night, after a second floor customer had refused to pay her, she lit the room on fire and walked off the job.
Certainly not the Ritz, although he was involved.
Let me guess that her name is Suzette? Now go ahead, boys, and make flambé jokes.
I call BS on the prostitution arrests and “upstairs activities”. Urban legend.
Au contraire mon ami…….the local papers covered it all. Well say though, the place was urban and it was a legendary place.
Hey I see my family was right about the restaurant being there.
However, it was considered a nice restaurant. Not the questionable stuff upstairs….that wasn’t part of the menu.
Yeah, you and your mom were exactly right, Wendy. I had just totally forgotten the name of the place when this came up a few months ago on 06880. And then the whole bit with the special second floor menu came back to me when I saw that unbelievable ad…
It’s nice to know we’ve evolved beyond such trash. While the oldest profession might still be practiced, at least it’s unlikely an ad like this would ever be published in a legitimate newspaper now.
It’s just went ‘underground’. Flying under the radar. Internet and basic cell phones (burner phones) changed the game so it’s less obvious.
Does the Village Voice count as a legitimate newspaper? According to Nick Kristof in last Thursday’s NY Times, the Village Voice affiliated Backpage.com not only advertises prostitution, but is the leading marketing place for child sex trafficking. In response to criticism, the private equity owned Voice, spun off the sex site to a Netherland-based holding company…which is believed to be owned by the same investors as the Voice.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/kristof-where-pimps-peddle-their-goods.html
And, of course, there is Craigslist, which has broader reach than many “legitimate newspapers”, most of which are dying.
Was that Tara Trupin’s Dad I wonder? They lived on Charcoal Hill I think.