Tag Archives: Joey’s by the Shore

Roundup: Joey’s By The Shore, Private Ryan, Grateful Dead …

Posted on May 25, 2021 | 2 comments

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Joey’s by the Shore opened its new location — the former Elvira’s, across from Old Mill Beach, last spring.

The pandemic was in full swing. So for the past year, customers ordered through the app only. They waited outside for orders.

In one more sign that COVID is easing, Joey’s’ doors are now open. Neighbor Don Bergmann (below) was thrilled to finally go inside.

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1st Selectman Jim Marpe says:

“On behalf of the Town of Westport, I want to reiterate that acts of discrimination, racism and anti-Semitism will not be tolerated in our community. Over the past year, as a country, we witnessed the murder of George Floyd, terrifying attacks against the Asian and Pacific Islander communities, and countless other acts of hatred and discrimination. And in recent days, we have seen acts of anti-Semitism strikingly close to us in New York City.

Let there be no doubt, anti-Semitism has no place in our community. We respect our Jewish neighbors and visitors. Westport is an inclusive community that embraces diversity and has always celebrated all cultures and religious beliefs. We must continue to respect everyone regardless of their race, creed or ethnic origin. I encourage all in the community to reaffirm these values during this challenging period.

I stand with our friends and neighbors who feel threatened by these terrible activities. Make no mistake, Westport is focused on protecting all residents and visitors. We have stepped up security in and around our synagogues and temples and will do everything necessary to keep our community safe and free from discrimination and hate.

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Just in time for Memorial Day, the Remarkable Theater has added a very appropriate new movie to its schedule.

“Saving Private Ryan” screens on Sunday (May 30, 8 p.m.). There’s a special holiday price of $25 per car. But of course the classic World War II film is priceless.

Click here for tickets, and the rest of this week’s slate.

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Congratulations to the Staples High School girls track team. They won the FCIAC championship yesterday.

Individual winners for coach Jesse McCray’s team include Ava Harvey (long jump, 16′ 9.5″; triple jump, 34′ 3/4″) and Tatum Havemann (800 meters, 2:17.56, personal record), and Isabelle Blend (pole vault, 8′).

The 4×400 meter relay team of Francine Stevens, Olivia Bollo, Hannah Murphy and Samantha Dewitt blazed to a school record 4:01.52, winning gold.

The 4×100 meter relay squad (Molly Liles, Bollo, Murphy, Laura Spheeris) also set a school record, placing 2nd in 50.13.

The 4×800 meter team (Leigh Foran, Josie Dolan, Nicole Holmes, Lyah Muktavaram) took silver in 9:48.98. Also second: Francine Stevens (100, 12.41; 200, 25.05) and Dewitt (400, 59.68, personal record).

Francine Stevens won her 100 meter heat. (Photo/Barry Guiduli)

FCIAC champions! (Photo/Cari Moore)

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Beechwood Arts’ 2nd of 3 “Classical Smackdown Concerts is set for Thursday (May 27, 7 p.m.). Pianist Frederic Chiu will perform Bach vs. Glass — and an international audience will vote for their favorite.

Frederic’s first of 3 Classical Smackdown Concerts “Heart & Soul” was very exciting with interesting results from the first ever Global Smackdown Vote! The audience was truly global with people from Australia, China, Europe and all over the US!

Click here for details, and tickets.

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Westport Business Networking International (BNI) will sponsor a “Discover Your Well Being Expo” on June 16 (6 to 9 p.m., Salon Paul Michael, Westport).

The free event includes informational booths from a chiropractor, personal trainer, functional medicine specialist, organizer, clean crafted wine distributor, counseling service, plus beverages, hors d’oeuvres and interactive demonstrations.

BNI is a networking group of business professionals. They seek one new members in each of these categories: interior designer, home inspector, developer, heating and air conditioning contractor, chef, and attorneys who practice estate and elder law.

Email salonpaulmichael@gmail.com to register. Walk-ins are welcome too. For more information on BNI, click here.

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Terrapin is an aptly named Grateful Dead cover band. They’ve built a devoted area following.

And next month they’ll play a special, private, 100-person outdoor show, at Wakeman Town Farm. Fine food and themed beverages by Marcia Selden Catering are available for pre-purchase.

The June 26 event is a benefit for CLASP Homes, the great non-profit that helps people with disabilities. Click here for tickets.

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo comes from Grayson Braun. She writes:

“This little guy has been hanging around our yard — probably because we are one of the few houses in our immediate area without a dog. He has enjoyed our grass, and the occasional hosta leaf.”

(Photo/Grayson Braun)

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And finally … I can’t believe I missed Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday yesterday. (I also can’t believe he is 80.)

I could link to dozens of his songs that have impacted my life. I could make an entire list of those with I’m-still-discovering-more-there lyrics (“Memphis Blues Again,” “Queen Jane Approximately,” “Desolation Row”), those with political power (“The Times They Are A-Changin’,” “Hurricane”), and those whose studio musicians are vastly underrated (“Like a Rolling Stone,” “Jokerman,” “Changing of the Guards”).

But I’ll narrow today’s selection down to 4 that, to me, define Bob Dylan. What are yours?

 

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Posted in Arts, Beach, Entertainment, Environment, Local business, religion, Sports, Staples HS

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Roundup: Joey’s, Captain America, COVID …

Posted on April 22, 2021 | 8 comments

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A year after Elvira’s reopened as Joey’s By the Shore — Featuring Elvira Mae’s Coffee Bar,” there’s more news from Old Mill/Compo’s favorite food spot.

The building is for sale. But Joey Romeo and Betsy Kravitz are not going anywhere. They’re keeping the business just as is — with great eats, an ordering window and a beachy vibe, 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. A long-term lease protects the business.

That’s the good great news. Now if only we had some good news about that long-halted home construction project on the site of the former Positano restaurant, a few yards diagonally across the street …

Betsy Kravitz and Joey Romeo, ready for another season.

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Both myTeam Triumph-CT and Remarkable Theater support the special needs community.

It’s no wonder they’re partnering for mTT’s “Spring Into Action” season-opening event. On Saturday, May 1 (gates open at 6:30 p.m.; movie at 7:30), myTeam Triumph sponsors a showing of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”  — the Marvel adventure film — at the downtown drive-in.

It’s not just that the Remarkable Theater employs people with disabilities for screenings at the Imperial Avenue lot. Or that myTeam Triump pairs children, teens, adults and veterans with disabilities with volunteers, who join them in triathlons and road races.

The volunteers are called “angels.” The special needs participants are called … “captains.” So the May 1 film is very fitting.

All proceeds from the event will be shared by Remarkable Theater and myTeam Triumph-CT.

For more information and to buy tickets, click here. To learn more and volunteer with mTT (you don’t have to be an athlete!), click here. To donate, click here.

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Starting tomorrow, there’s another COVID testing center in town.

Progressive Diagnostics opens at 8 a.m. in Saugatuck railroad station parking lot #8. That’s the one off Saugatuck Avenue, between I-95 and the Exit 17 entrance/ exit ramp. They promise same-day PCR and antibody test results.

Weekday hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Speaking of COVID: Who better to answer questions about the virus than Dr. Scott Gottlieb — former FDA commissioner (and Westport resident)?

And who better to ask those questions than Dave Briggs — longtime journalist (and fellow Westporter)?

The event is on InstagramLive today (Thursday, April 22, 6 p.m., @WestportMagazine). You can ask questions now: DM@DaveBriggsTV.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb

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Looking for a special Mother’s Day gift? Head to the farm!

Wakeman Town Farm offers spring arrangements, through Hedge Floral. Options include a garden bouquet in twig-wrapped vessel ($95) and posies in upcycled tin cans ($30).

Hedge designs each arrangement with the best of what’s available in early May.  That probably means Queen Anne’s lace, mustard, lilac, pieris, euonymus, viburnum, azalea, honeysuckle and spirea.

Click here to order. Deadline is noon on May 5. Pick-up is Saturday, May 8, 10 a.m. to noon at WTF.

A garden bouquet option.

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Speaking of nature: Jolantha celebrated Earth Day today with a few friends, on Weston’s Kellogg Hill:

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We’ve spent the past 13 months urging Westporters to wear masks.

Looks like we need to talk about helmets too.

An “06880” reader sent this photo, from earlier this week at the Compo Beach skatepark. Several other helmet-less youngsters were nearby, he reports.

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And finally … Jim Steinman died Monday in Danbury. He was 73, and had been in poor health.

His New York Times obituary explains that Steinman “wrote all the songs on Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loaf’s operatic, teenage-angst-filled 1977 debut album, which remains one of the most successful records of all time.”

Meat Loaf was one of Westport’s many famous musician residents. When he wasn’t recording operatic, teenage-angst-filled songs, he played softball at Compo Beach and Greens Farms Elementary School, and coached it too.

Just another normal neighbor. (Hat tip: Adam Stolpen)

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Posted in Beach, Entertainment, Environment, Media, Restaurants, Sports

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Fred Cantor: Seeing Westport Through SoCal Eyes

Posted on April 16, 2021 | 16 comments

“06880” readers know Fred Cantor as an avid commenter, with a keen eye for Westport’s history, and a passion for its present and future. He’s also a multi-talented writer, movie and play producer, and attorney

Fred Cantor (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

The 1971 Staples High School graduate has had health issues, so for the past few years he and his wife Debbie have spent winters in Southern California. They were there last year, when the pandemic (and his doctor’s advice) turned a few months’ stay into more than a year. It was the longest time he’d been away from Westport since moving here at age 10.

After 17 months, Fred and Debbie are back. Here’s what he sees.

The first thing that grabbed our attention coming off Exit 17 was the empty train station parking lot. We had read about the large number of people working at home, but that was an eye-opener.

Yet then, almost instantly, there were old welcome sights: the approach to the distinctive Cribari Bridge — with early signs of spring (daffodils in full bloom) — and just past the bridge, 19th-century homes with yards fronted by quintessential New England stone walls or wrought-iron fences.

Daffodils near the William F. Cribari Bridge.

I don’t think Debbie and I crossed a bridge over a river once in our area of SoCal— and certainly not a bridge on the National Register of Historic Places — even before the pandemic, when we did more driving. Southern California has much natural beauty, but in the area of Orange County where we rented, numerous rivers and streams are certainly not among them.

And historic 19th century homes — well, they did not exist there. Some of those towns were created in the 1960s or later.

Handsome home on Bridge Street.

Westport’s historic homes, stone walls, rivers and meandering tributaries — such as can be seen along Ford Road — are among the sights I missed the most.

The scene along Ford Road.

Forsythias blooming all around Westport were another “welcome home” sign; that too was much rarer in our part of SoCal.

Forsythia blooms outside a 1930 Imperial Avenue home.

Heading to the beach, I had to stop at Joey’s By The Shore at its new location. I hoped to see Joey after all this time. but he’s away.

Back in business: Joey’s by the Shore.

That reinforced my feelings that, while many of us embrace longtime local establishments, it is largely the proprietors we really have such warm feelings about. That was certainly true when the Nistico family switched its restaurant operation from the Arrow to the Red Barn.

Walking across the street to Old Mill Beach instantly reminded me why that has long been a personal favorite. It’s not only beautiful; it’s often serene, as exemplified by a couple quietly reading their iPad and newspaper on a nearly empty beach.

Old Mill Beach.

When I was away I stayed in touch with Westport friends via email, texts, social media, occasional phone calls and Zoom.

I followed local Westport news via “06880,” so in certain respects I didn’t feel 3,000 miles away from what was happening here.  By contrast, I vividly recall the summer of 1964. I was at camp in Pennsylvania, and learned of my Little League team winning the Minor League World Series a week after the fact, when I received a letter from my parents with a clipping from the Town Crier.

The most difficult thing about being so far away was not being able to see our 93- and 95-year-old moms. Daily phone calls and occasional FaceTime calls didn’t quite suffice.

So that first weekend back in town generated a teary reunion hug between Debbie and her mom. It was coupled with a culinary discovery: delicious mini-babka at the new Kneads Bakery, which we all enjoyed at their outdoor dining area.

Fred’s wife Debbie Silberstein, Debbie’s mother and aide, at Kneads Bakery. (All photos/Fred Cantor)

That first weekend back also generated our first experience with traffic. At 4 p.m. Saturday there was a big backup on Bridge Street toward Saugatuck. Traffic crawled on 95, spilling over onto local streets.

Other than on the single-lane canyon road leading to Laguna Beach, we never experienced major backups in SoCal. The main local roads have 3 lanes in each direction — with an additional two left-hand turn lanes at major intersections.

During that traffic tie-up on Bridge Street I witnessed an “only in Westport” moment (and something I had never seen in close to 60 years here). Moving right by the traffic on a highly unusual mode of transit were two cyclists on penny-farthings (you can look it up🤨).

Seeing that, I knew for sure I was back in Westport!

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Posted in Beach, Local business, Saugatuck, Westport life

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Roundup: Joey’s, Vaccine, Seniors’ Blog …

Posted on March 21, 2021 | 9 comments

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Yesterday’s gorgeous weather brought beach-lovers to Compo.

It also kicked off the season for entitled drivers. First off the mark: This person, who believes the only way to enjoy the water is to park as close as possible to it.

(Photo/Roseann Spengler)

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Another sign of spring (and summer): Joey’s by the Shore (featuring Elvira Mae’s Coffee Bar) opened yesterday.

Hours are currently 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather dependent. Joey, Betsy and the crew say hi!

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After all the stories about difficulties scoring a COVID vaccine appointment, I heard the other side: how efficiently the process runs, once you actually get a slot for a shot.

The operation at the former Lord & Taylor parking lot in Stamford sounded particularly well organized.

That’s where I was scheduled yesterday, for my first dose. It’s all true.

From check-in to the shot itself and on through the 15-minute observation period afterward, the process was top notch. It was run with military precision. That’s not surprising: Connecticut’s National Guard was in charge.

Kudos to all involved. A big shout-out to the Guardsman pictured below. We had a great time chatting. He represents his unit — and the entire operation — exceptionally well.

The only tweak needed is laughably minor. The address given for the Lord & Taylor lot is 110 High Ridge Road. But the entrance for vaccines is on Long Ridge.

I can live with that.

(Photo/Dan Woog)

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Westport Police say:

“The Westport Police Department is shocked and saddened by the murders that occurred this past week in the greater Atlanta area. Our hearts go out to the victims as well as their loved ones. Violence committed against a person because of their race is something that should never be tolerated or excused.

“The Westport Police stands with law enforcement agencies nationwide as well as our partners at the Anti-Defamation League in condemning this horrible crime.For more information and resources please go to the Anti-Defamation League’s website.”

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Electric vehicle brands and state legislators hold a press conference tomorrow (Monday, March 22, 10 a.m.) at the Westport train station’s eastbound side.

They’ll discuss what they call “outdated dealer franchise laws that have plagued direct electric vehicle sales for almost a decade.”

A proposed bill would give “innovative companies the ability to have an uncorked presence in Connecticut.” Without this legislation, they say, many EV manufacturers will continue to be blocked from opening sales sites, offering test drives, and selling directly to consumers.” Click here for more details.

Westport is an appropriate site for the press conference. We have the highest percentage of EVs registered in the state — over 250 Teslas alone.

Electric vehicles lined up by the Staples charging stations (from left): Chevy Bolt, Tesla S, VW, Tesla X, Nissan Leafes,

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For nearly 2 years, Rosemary Cass’ blog has enriched the lives of people age 55 and older.

“Seeing it Clearly Now” inspires everyone — retired or not — be better with age. Her focus is on learning new things, finding purpose, and exploring the arts.

The blog features creative works of older writers and artists. For example, a recent post explored the writer’s gratification from her volunteer work with Al’s Angels.

Many contributors are members of the Westport Senior Center. Cass herself is a student in Jan Bassin’s writing workshops.

She’s always looking for submissions. Click here for the blog; email cass.rosemary@gmail.com.

Rosemary Cass uses the pen name “Rosy Prose.”

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And finally … Happy 436th birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach!

 

9 Comments

Posted in Beach, Local business, Media, Police, Politics, Transportation

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Friday Flashback #219

Posted on November 20, 2020 | 27 comments

Joey’s by the Shore has shifted to winter hours (Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.).

They’ve added soups and other seasonal items. There’s Elvira Mae’s great coffee bar too.

Customer traffic may be slower, but the Old Mill neighborhood relies on Joey’s. Just as they did for 20 years with Elvira’s. And — decades earlier — Kenny Montgomery’s store.

But even before that, there was a market at the foot of Compo Hill.

When Betsy and Hal Kravitz opened Elvira Mae’s, their across-the-street neighbor Robin Tauck gave them this:

Sheila Bergmann sent it along. She lives up the hill, and is fascinated by the photo.

So am I.

At the time this was taken, the Old Mill Market — featuring Park City Ice Cream — was also the temporary office of the Compo Hill Developing Co. They offered “Restricted Building Sites for Sale.”

“Restricted” as in “limited options for what can be built”? Or “restricted” as in “No Jews Allowed”?

It’s clear that Compo Hill was ripe for development. How lucky the neighbors are that the little store at the bottom survived the building boom that followed.

If you remember the Old Mill Market, or anything else about Compo Hill from those years — whenever they were — click “Comments” below.

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Posted in Beach, Friday Flashback

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Roundup: Amy Oestreicher, Joey’s By The Shore, Jamie Lebish, More

Posted on October 16, 2020 | 5 comments

Amy Oestreicher — daughter of Westport dermatologist Dr. Mark Oestreicher — has had a tough life.

At 18, a blood clot caused her stomach to explode. After a months-long coma, she endured 28 surgeries, and 7 years without food or drink. She also came to terms with a long-kept secret: sexual abuse by a trusted mentor.

She persevered, and developed a one-woman show about her challenges and triumphs. Then she wrote “My Beautiful Detour: An Unthinkable Journey  from Gutless to Grateful.”

On Thursday, October 22 (7 p.m.), she’ll talk about her book at the Fairfield University Bookstore. The inspiring event — celebrating positive mental health strategies and the transformative power of creativity — will be broadcast on Facebook Live.

Amy Oestreicher

After a very successful summer, Joey’s by the Shore is pivoting to fall.

It’s a slower time for the beach deli, but they’ve made some menu tweaks and added a few features.

There’s are seasonal specials, like pumpkin spice latte, along with homemade peanut butter chocolate pie, Boar’s Head meats, fresh salads and rotating soups. Breakfast is offered all day long.

Monday through Thursday, they open an hour earlier — 7 a.m. — to catch the Old Mill sunrise. They close those days at 2 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Joey’s has added more (socially distanced) outdoor seating.

Jamie Lebish has led quite a life. He left Staples High School before graduating with the Class of 1977. He’s battled drug addiction and been incarcerated.

He’s also used music to heal a relationship with his father Irwin, a noted jazz pianist.

After moving to Maine, Jamie founded El Rancho De La Vida (“The Ranch of Life”) — a fully licensed substance abuse agency and non-profit recovery home.

But COVID has hit El Rancho hard. Federal and state funding dried up. Potential residents are finding it tough to go there.

Jamie says, “As my fiancee and I look at the road we left behind, from what was once our hometown on Main Street to the home we have built here in Maine, in the spirit of recovery and living a life with dignity and purpose, it is our hope that our hometown will support us as we navigate through these turbulent times.”

Click here to learn more about El Rancho De La Vida.  Click here to contribute. (Hat tip: Stevi Lee)

El Rancho De La Vida

And finally … happy 43rd birthday (!) to Fairfield’s own John Mayer.

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Posted in Beach, Organizations, People, Restaurants

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Friday Flashback #194

Posted on May 29, 2020 | 48 comments

One day — sooner rather than later, hopefully — the Compo Beach snack bar will open.

A new concessionaire replaces Joey’s by the Shore. After 31 years, there will be a new look and feel to the familiar brick building.

It seems like it’s always been there, smack in the middle of the boardwalk. But for most of its existence, that was actually part of the bathhouses.

The concession stand was located a few yards north — where the volleyball courts are now. Low-slung and wooden, it had even more of a “beach shack” feel than the current one.

And because there were a few parking spaces in front — just before the drop-off area where the Soundview exit road begins — anyone could drive up and walk in. You didn’t need a beach sticker.

(Photo courtesy of Liz Doyle Boyd)

Working at Chubby’s was a coveted job. I was hired the summer after 10th grade. Despite the dorky uniform (blue button-down shirt, dark blue shorts, high socks), I had a blast.

I loved my co-workers. I got free food. I was at the beach. Life did not get better than that.

PS: A few years earlier, Chubby pioneered “delivery.” Employees wandered up and down the sand. They called in orders by walkie-talkie, and tied a ribbon on the customer’s chair. Someone else then brought the order.

That service was gone by the time I worked there. Maybe the new concessionaire can bring it back?

BONUS FEATURE: Chubby’s beach success led to a year-round restaurant on Post Road East. It’s now the site of Willows Pediatrics, next to the Westport Inn.

Chubby Lane’s featured the first $1 hamburger in town — with meat from Charpentier’s butcher across the street (now Border Grille) — and killer onion rings. I worked there also, wearing that same ridiculous outfit.

I had a blast there too.

This is actually the Bantam Restaurant, a predecessor of Chubby Lane’s. But when he owned it, it looked the same.

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Posted in Beach, Friday Flashback, Restaurants

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New Beach Concessionaire Ready For Approval

Posted on March 31, 2020 | 33 comments

No one knows when Compo Beach and Longshore will reopen.

But when they do, the Parks & Recreation Department will be ready.

After announcing in November that Joey’s by the Shore is no longer the concessionaire at the beach, pool and halfway house, Parks & Rec sent out an RFP.

There were 5 responses. Three applicants were interviewed. And the winner is …

Upsilon Entertainment Group.

The Larchmont, New York-based firm begins the approval process at a Board of Finance meeting tomorrow (Wednesday. April 1). The 8 p.m. Zoom meeting will be livestreamed on WestportCT.gov, and shown on on Optimum channel 79 and Frontier channel 6020.

Then, at a public meeting on April 7 (8:30 a.m.), the Planning & Zoning Commission considers the 1st selectman’s 8-24 Request for a Report about the new concessionaire. The meeting will be streamed live on the town website, and on Cablevision Channel 79.

The P&Z’s purview is to consider the overall planning impact of the proposed lease for the use of these municipal spaces. Public comment can be made in writing only. Email pandz@westportct.gov, to ensure that comments are circulated to the entire P&Z Commission.

Interested residents can review the application materials, including the proposed lease, here: https://www.westportct.gov/government/departments-a-z/planning-and-zoning-department/p-z-pending-applications

Final approval would be granted by the Board of Selectmen. A date for that meeting has not yet been set.

Upsilon Entertainment Group hopes to be the new beach concessionaire. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

33 Comments

Posted in Beach, Local politics, Longshore

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Coming Soon: “Joey’s By The Shore — Featuring Elvira Mae’s Coffee Bar”

Posted on March 15, 2020 | 18 comments

After a week of relentlessly grim news, this will bring a smile to your face:

Joey’s by the Shore is partnering with Elvira Mae’s. The joint venture brings the burgers, fries, lobster rolls (and much more) that Joey Romeo served for over 30 years as Compo Beach concessionaire, to the Hillspoint Road spot known for great coffee, bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches, soft-serve ice cream (and much more).

“Joey’s by the Shore, Featuring Elvira Mae’s Coffee Bar” opens April 3 (COVID-19 guidance permitting).

Joey Romeo and Betsy Kravitz, in their Hillspoint Road spot. The table is from Joey’s by the Shore at Compo Beach.

Joey and Betsy Kravitz — who took over Elvira’s, across from Old Mill Beach, last year — are mindful of the coronavirus.

“We’re monitoring the situation,” Joey says. “Health and safety are our number one concerns. We won’t put anyone at risk.”

Betsy points to the ice cream window as a way to minimize social interactions. She and Joey will also make sure the store does not get crowded.

And because there’s no cash exchanged — all payment is by credit card, Apple or Samsung Pay, or house accounts — that’s one less point of contact to worry about.

The idea for the 50/50 partnership began in November, almost as soon as Joey’s 31-year partnership with the town ended. (He also ran the Longshore pool, skating rink and halfway house concessions.)

“It opened our mind to possibilities,” Betsy says. They did not know each other well — each was busy running their own operations last summer — but when they met, they had “great chemistry.”

The menu will include nearly all of Joey’s favorites — and those Betsy’s customers loved too. In addition, there are to-go items for impromptu sunset-watching, like cheese, crackers and olives.

Joey’s Featuring Elvira Mae’s will be open 7 days a week, from 7:30 a.m. to sunset, all year long.

The staff will include familiar faces from Joey’s and Elvira Mae’s. Both were known for friendly, hard-working high school and college students.

The new Joey’s by the Shore will stock non-food items familiar from the beach, like towels, sunscreen and hoodies. They’ll sell flowers too.

As well as grocery staples: eggs, milk, butter, paper towels. And — key, in these COVID-19 days — toilet paper.

Joey’s old sign hangs in his new digs.

For the past 2 days Hillspoint Road has been crowded with walkers, joggers and bicyclists. We’re  all eager to get outside, clear our heads and forget about the coronavirus for a while.

Soon we’ll have a friendly, welcoming — and safe — spot to stop, along the way.

(For more information, including house accounts, click here.)

18 Comments

Posted in Beach, Local business, People, Restaurants

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Pic Of The Day #948

Posted on November 21, 2019 | 4 comments

Just a day after the town announced that Joey Romeo was no longer the Compo Beach and Longshore concessionaire, the “Joey’s by the Shore” sign was gone. Joey’s opened in 1988. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

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Posted in Beach, Local business, Pic of the Day

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