Dairy Queen debuts dining option Friday with half-off everything

Three generations of Albaneses are waiting to welcome you.
(From left: Donna, Adele and Joe, and Rich.)

Plainfield's legendary Dairy Queen is turning a new page in its three-generation history: Friday a new dining option, known as DQ Brazier, debuts -- with EVERYTHING in the store half-off for the entire day.

The Albanese family has more than doubled the square footage of the South Avenue store, with a spacious retro-themed dining area featuring Art Deco-ish club chairs and settees, as well as tables whose tops will remind you of the chrome and formica classics from grandma's kitchen.

But visitors are sure to be wowed by the food offerings, too: fresh salads, wraps, grilled chicken, barbecue sandwiches and hot dogs with all the fixins'. As well as the standard DQ soft and hard ice cream offerings plus cakes and other frozen goodies.

The new space is filled with vintage advertising and photographs
from Dairy Queen's 73-year history.

Donna Albanese gave me the grand tour this week, as the crew was getting ready for the launch. The addition includes new handicap-accessible rest rooms as well as the dining area with its retro-themed furnishing and vintage photos and marketing materials from DQ's 73-year history. (I can remember it being referred to as 'soft serve'.)

The DQ Brazier (pronounced bray-ZHEER -- it is not an article of clothing) is but one of a number of dining options offered by the Dairy Queen chain, see more here.

Be sure to stop by Friday for the half-off special (on EVERYTHING in the store) and the chance to socialize with friends and neighbors (someone I know always comes in the door when I am there), or take the opportunity to congratulate Donna, her parents Joe and Adele, and Donna's son Rich.

You won't want to miss this new treat on South Avenue.

PS: With summer coming on, Donna wanted me to remind all that the store is always taking employment applications, a good opportunity for students aged 14 and older.

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Dairy Queen Brazier Grand Opening

Everything 50% Off

Friday · April 8

1367 South Avenue, Plainfield

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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On reading Renata on youth employment issues

Three generations of Albaneses: Donna, her parents Adele and Joe, and her son Richard.

Plainfield youth could certainly do worse than have Renata Hernandez in their corner.

Renata, a Board of Ed member who also mentors a group of young women, posted on her blog (see here) regarding youth employment issues in the Queen City as she sees them, citing some of her experiences.

Renata is right that young people need to be given that 'first' job opportunity, and the kinds of local businesses she mentions (C-Town, McDonalds, Dairy Queen) are often the point of entry into the job market for Plainfield youngsters.

But Renata links her less-than-ideal experience with C-Town to McDonalds and Dairy Queen in a way that can leave the reader thinking these businesses don't offer opportunities for youngsters trying to get into the workforce.

Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Both Angela Adderly (at her South Avenue and downtown McDonalds franchises) and the Albanese family make it a point of giving Plainfield youth their first jobs, and with them opportunities for picking up invaluable life skills that will serve them however far they go in their adult lives.

In particular, I can commend Donna Albanese (as if she needed it, having been recognized by the Dairy Queen organization for the family's OUTSTANDING community service), through my own personal experience.

In the early1990s, I helped form a community outreach nonprofit at Grace Episcopal Church. Among our programs was a girlchoir, composed of Plainfield girls from grades 4 to 12 who became part of a choir that concertized extensively throughout the tri-state area.  The girls received a small stipend and, besides singing, were given homework coaching, recreation activities and what I suppose you could call 'life skills coaching': timeliness, accountabililty, good grooming and carriage, leadership opportunities, and pathways to excellence and recognition through a recognized international musical organization.

Besides that, as the girls matured and move out of the girlchoir experience, several found employment with Donna Albanese at the Dairy Queen.

Over the years, many of Donna's employees (including the girls from Grace) would move on to college and other career options; but one of the amazing things is the sense of 'family' that the Albanese's former employees have, coming back for visits, even bringing their own children in and explaining this was where they got their first job opportunity.

Bernice Paglia, in a comment on Renata's post, pointed out all the Albaneses have done; Renata picked up on that without actually apologizing for included them in with her C-Town experience.

That is unfortunate, because advocating for a good cause (giving young people a crack at their first job) was marred by implying that McDonalds and Dairy Queen (along with other, unspecifed South Avenue businesses) are doing less than their share.

As for employing young people, I am surprised Renata doesn't mention the school-to-jobs opportunities that are open to high school students. I shop several times a week at Twin City on Seventh Street, and there is at least one young cashier there whom I have learned works there as just part of such a school-to-jobs program.

Business people have to run their businesses so that they can keep the doors open. It doesn't help the situation in a fragile economy to suggest -- without any detailed analysis, only an unhappy experience with ONE business -- that our young people are being let down and these businesses are putting their very futures in peril.

How is this helpful, and is the assertion justified or hyperbolic?

First of all, the unemployment rate among Plainfield ADULTS is higher than the state average of 9.1%, and many of these people have mouths to feed at home. What about them? And then there is the matter of UNDEREMPLOYMENT, folks taking on part-time or temporary work to get by when there are no full-time jobs available. What about these folks?

Employment -- youth and adult -- are big issues, big challenges and big opportunities in Plainfield.

Renata is right to challenge Mayor Robinson-Briggs to get to work on this matter; it is one that is only belatedly getting any attention from this Administration. And Renata's offer of help is reassuring.

However, berating businesses who may be doing everything you think is good -- and even more than you know -- is hardly a way to win friends and influence people.

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• Standing In The Gap:  "What 'We' Need"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Signs of the times: Farewell, Beverly!

Despite the missing 'y', a strong Moderne personality for Beverly.

Here and there downtown, there are reminders of Plainfield's halcyon days as a downtown shopping destination for central Jerseyans.

One such has been the signage above the former Beverly Millinery shop on East Front Street near Watchung.

It has always caught my eye as a fine example of the Art Moderne sensibility which pervaded store design and signage in the late 1930s and 1940s.

Efforts being made to rent the vacant space.

Suddenly last September, when I took the picture above, there was a flurry of activity as the owner made some efforts to market the two vacant storefronts.

On a trip downtown yesterday, I noticed that the Beverly Milliner_ sign has been removed, leaving a blank façade, perhaps awaiting a new tenant's nameplate...

Farewell, Beverly!

Welcome...whoever!

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Portraitist will sketch your Valentine (or you) at Swain's Saturday

A portrait by Richard Scarpa.

Valentine's Day is coming, and Plainfield's Swain Galleries is coming to your aid.

Tomorrow only, portraitist Richard Scarpa will be on hand at the gallery to sketch your favorite Valentine (or yourself) in a live, approximately one-hour sitting, at the end of which you will have a memorable take-along portrait.

Scarpa, a graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York, specializes in portraits -- both paintings and drawings. You can preview his work on his website (see here). He has studied at the Art Students League in New York and the Studio Escalier in France.

Swain Galleries has served art patrons of Plainfield and New Jersey for 142 years, and is today able managed by fourth-generation representative Ann Swain.

Because the sittings will take approximately one hour, reservations must be made in advance by calling Swain Galleries at (908) 756-1707, where Ann Swain will be happy to help you and answer questions about pricing (the sketches start at $150).

Did I forget to mention you can get your sketch framed at Swain's?

Ann will be more than happy to show you the wide range of framing options available.

Another example of a Scarpa portrait.

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PORTRAITIST RICHARD SCARPA
at SWAIN GALLERIES

Tomorrow · February 5  mm 10 AM - 4 PM

Call for Sketch Appointment: (908) 756-1707

At Swain Galleries, East 7th Street and Watchung Avenue

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• Websites --
• "Richard Scarpa Portraits"
• "Swain Galleries"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Jackie spots a special holiday greeting to Bibi from the Mayor

Fellow blogger Jackie S. spotted a special holiday message.

Plainfield Today readers know I am inordinately fond of Jackie Schnoop's photography, especially her weekend roundups of shots around town during the past week (see this week's full post here).

Jackie, who blogs at The (TV) Show Must Go On (see here) is also a regular entrant (and winner!) in the Plainfield Public Library's annual photo contests (see full list here).

I took a snap yesterday of the 'Free Parking' bag -- it's free to holiday shoppers through January 2, 2011 -- but what could possible top the one that Jackie spotted!

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Holidays in Plainfield: Horse & Wagon Ride Today

Plainfield kids of all ages can thrill to riding through the city streets in an open horse-drawn wagon today between Noon and 3 PM.

The 6th Annual Holiday Horse & Wagon Ride is sponsored by the Plainfield SID.

Catch the ride in one of two staging areas: West Front Street (near McDonald's) or Plainwood Square Park on South Avenue. Wagon rides. Hot chocolate. Goody bags for all, compliments of Plainfield merchants.

Drawing for 'World's Largest Christmas Stocking' at 3:30 PM at Plainwood Square (entry forms at both sites, winner must be present) and a Holiday Gingerbread House.

Santa and his Elf will pose for pictures with the kids (bring your own camera) at the downtown staging area from Noon to 1:15 PM, and at Plainwood Square Park from 1:45 to 3:00 PM.

Best of all, EVERYTHING IS FREE.

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6th Annual Horse and Wagon Rides

Today - December 10

Noon - 3:00 PM

Two staging areas:
Downtown, West Front near McDonald's

South Avenue, at Plainwood Square Park

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield makeovers: Facelifts and Falsies

Some renovations got me to thinking of bullet bras.

Despite a sagging economy, Plainfield finds itself with quite a bit of renovation activity in the central business district.

Let's go with a fashion metaphor, OK? (It's the weekend, after all.)

First, the falsies.

I'm sorry, but that's all that comes to mind with the façade renovations being made over the past year or so at 301 East Front Street (the former home of the Plainfield Senior Center).

The two new pointy peaks on the Front Street façade remind me of nothing more than bullet-bra falsies. Like falsies, they give an illusion of something that is not really there. When viewed from the side, you can even see the bar propping them up, like some Hollywood set.

The facade renovations at 301 East Front.

Facelift?

Check out the YMCA, one of the historic structures in the Civic Historic District (which includes City Hall and the Annex). The YMCA is having its façade staircase entry completed renovated.

Replacing 'like with like', the building will keep the look it has had since its construction in the early 20th century.

New steps and facade work for the YMCA's entrance.

Round windows, as in original, will replace YMCA roundels.

The railings will be removed, cleaned and replaced.

'About time,' one former YMCA employee said to me, 'those steps were really worn'.

Fact is, those steps were REALLY WORN, so worn they reminded me of photos of the Appian Way, the famous Roman stone highway.

The YMCA will be getting a refreshed façade and staircase with new treads; the round wooden discs saying 'YMCA' will be replaced with windows, as in the original; and the railings will be cleaned and reinstalled.

It will make a handsome improvement to the Civic District.

Back downtown, more renovations are under way.

As Paramount Properties continues renovating its properties,
Mr. Lee has moved from the corner to the East Front Street side.

Mr. Lee has moved his store from the corner of Front and Watchung, where he has been for decades, around the corner to newly refurbished space. Paramount Properties, the owner of that block, has renovated the stores along East Front, and will tackle the former Lee's site next.

Will a new tenant spell the demise of the classic Art Moderne sign?

Across the corner, in the Union News Building, the shop sporting the classic Beverly's Millinery sign is once again angling for a tenant.

For some, the worst of times can still be the best of times.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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C-Town supermarket touches a nerve

Nothing in Plainfield is ever as simple as it seems.

Sunday's BUSINESS STORY about the new C-Town supermarket (story and comments here) and how it would stack up against it's nearest competitor,the Fanwood A&P, snagged 15 comments so far, quite a record for a hot summer weekend when folks could have been 'down the Shore' or enjoying some other form of clean, wholesome fun other than commenting on blog posts.

While I was thinking about the gamble ($1 million? more?) the owners took on opening a supermarket in Plainfield, a mile from another, longtime regional player (A&P), readers had other things on their mind.

Like the hours (it's only open 'til 8:00 PM), that it can't offer beer (which the A&P can, thanks to a grandfathered license -- which the Plainfield A&P also had, but sold to the South Avenue liquor store by PNC), and perceptions that prices are high and it won't be kept clean for long. (I'll be doing a price comparison later.)

But the most heat was generated around an anonymous comment that 'none of the employees "look" like the community being served'.

I have to admit I don't know what exactly the person meant, but it didn't seem good on the face of it -- which is how other commenters also saw it.

What kind of employees were they expecting?

Evidently there is at least ONE Plainfield Today reader who is very uncomfortable with anyone not just exactly like them. That's their right, I guess, but do they have to whine all the time about it? Other readers don't think so, evidently.

Which brings us to the matter of 'diversity' and Plainfield's 'changing demographics'.

Plainfield, as many other New Jersey (and East Coast) communities is experiencing a growing Latino population. It has been obvious to careful observers for years. The schools are the clearest barometer, and in a few short years the high school will reflect it with a 50% or more Latino enrollment.

Those who pine for folks 'just like themselves' would do well to ponder the Latino products in the cooler cases at the rear of the Times Market. Store owners don't stock products that don't sell.

Concerning butcher counters. They are an added overhead, as opposed to just putting out shrink-wrapped meats. My point is that butcher counters disappeared from supermarkets (except for high end stores) because they could foist shrink-wrapped meat on suburban customers. The Latino market is far more interested in this kind of service, and smart marketers offer it.

As for the idea that the Council somehow was involved in 'considering' the franchisee for the site, I am puzzled. It's a private business, in a privately-owned building -- which by the way was vacant for quite a while -- and a use that previously existed there (it was once a Foodtown before Royal Dutch Ahold bought that chain and merged its stores into the Stop & Shops). Why would it have been anything more than a routine landlord-tenant deal, with the exception of construction officials having to certify any work performed?

Is a thriving South Avenue shopping scene good for Plainfield? If not, you need to explain to me why.

Are Latinos and other newcomers (including the increasing numbers of Muslims and others I see) going to be important in the Queen City's remaking of itself? If not, you need to explain to me why.

Like everything else in life, Plainfield is constantly changing.

What is, is.

Or, as that girl-next-door-who-looks-like-me once sang, 'Qué será, será'.

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• Plainfield Today: "Will C-Town give Fanwood A&P a run for its money?"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Will C-Town give Fanwood A&P a run for its money?

Will Plainfield's new C-Town supermarket on South Avenue give the Fanwood A&P a run for its money?

If the answer is based on store layout and merchandising attractiveness, the answer has to be yes.

Like many others, I have been curiously waiting the opening of Plainfield's newest supermarket (for those who may not know it, we already have TWO others -- Supremo and Twin City -- both of which I regularly patronize).

The new store's interior is brightly lit, well thought out, and well-stocked. With aisles wider than the claustrophobic A&P's, shopper are first of all sure to feel uncramped.

First up when you enter are the Deli shop and Produce, with its beautifully displayed fruits and veggies. Across the back of the store are its packaged meat section, a full-service butcher shop and a seafood department.

Butcher counters, which remind me of the supermarkets of my childhood, had practically disappeared from the suburban megastores, but the influx of Latino customers -- who expect fresh meats cut to their specifications -- have been a boon for us all (well, us all meat-eaters; apologies to my vegan friends -- you know who you are).

The balance of the store reflects standard suburban fare, with the addition of a healthy dollop of Latin American specialties, reflecting the shift in Central Jersey demographics.

The C-Town looks like it's going be a good addition to the South Avenue shopping mix. It's going to be interesting to watch how the new store fares.

And the A&P's reaction to it -- far as I can see, the only advantage the A&P has at the moment is a fancier cheese and crackers selection, but is that enough to win the game?

Be sure to check out this new offering for yourself.

Customer Service is right at the front of the store.

For many, San Pellegrino bottled water is a very good sign.

The Produce section is well-lit, with inviting displays. 

Fresh seafood is a must in today's supermarkets.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Aldi has an idea, but would it work at other stores?

Sign explains the benefits of Aldi's cart policy.

I notice more and more Plainfielders shopping at Aldi's, the German-based supermarket that also owns the popular Trader Joe's chain, presumably because of the prices (about half what you pay in regular supermarkets) and the quality (fine by me, but I'm not known as a food snob -- though I will say it's the ONLY local outlet I have found for TRUE Lebanon bologna, a Pennsylvania Dutch treat I learned to love when in college).

But there is something nice about Aldi's parking lot, too.

You will never come out of the store to find your car door dinged by a shopping cart set adrift by someone who didn't want to return it to its parking stall.

Why?

Because you 'pay' a quarter to use the cart. Actually, the quarter goes in a slot which unlocks it from the daisy-chained carts in the cart stall.

When you're done shopping and putting your groceries in the car, you hook the cart back up in the cart stall and your quarter is automatically released.

Doesn't sound like much, but you never ever see a stray cart in the Aldi's parking lot.

Are you reading this, Stop & Shop?

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One satisfied customer

A satisfied customer.

Dropping by Plainfield's Dairy Queen to chat up Donna Albanese after last Thursday's Plainwood Square Merchants Association meeting, I ran into this happy customer.

Though a bit shy, she was delighted to have her picture taken with her face freshly painted by her sister. Very attractive, don't you think?

Snapshot taken, she retreated to another table to finish her ice cream alongside her father.

Donna reports that work is moving along on the new 7-Eleven at South Avenue and Terrill Road and the C-Town on South Avenue (in the old Drug Fair premises), which expects to open about May 15.

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New South Avenue businesses a focus of lively Plainwood Square meeting

Cake celebrating Plainwood Square Park
and South Avenue Streetscape, 2001.

It is always instructive to watch Plainwood Square Merchants Association president Donna Albanese conduct a meeting, but never more so than when there is good news.

And in these challenging economic times, there was some good news indeed with fresh prospects for the tight-knit South Avenue business district. Announcements included a new 7-Eleven slated for the former gas station at the corner of South Avenue and Terrill Road; the planned relocation of the Central Jersey Arts Charter School from downtown to the former ARC building next to G.O. Keller's; work is under way on a new C-Town in the former Drug Fair location; and the opening of Jersey Landscape and Garden Supply at the former D. Altman site next to Dairy Queen.

My table mate turned out to be Jennifer Hartman, who with her husband is opening the new garden supply business. With an April 1 opening date slated, they are busy at the moment with the final touches to the building, and then will start stocking up the spacious lot with landscaping materials and garden supplies. Mark your calendars, this is going to be a 'keeper'.

The 7-Eleven is a longer-term project, with remediation and construction slated to take about four months, according to Albanese, with a further four months for 7-Eleven to complete the outfitting of the store. (CORRECTION: One month to outfit store, so it should open late summer. -- DD)

With about 30 merchants and guests gathered, each business present was asked to make a brief presentation updating the group on their latest news.

There was lighthearted bantering among the 'burger kings-and-queen' owners representing the busy McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's outlets. Jeff Lichtman, whose South Avenue store was his father's first, let it slip that they now have 52 stores. Burgers weren't the only food champs, though, with KFC's Percy Fennell also getting to do a star turn.

Guests who gave presentations included --

• Harvest Radio (1070 AM, www.enjoyharvest.com/) whose marketing rep outlined free business promotion opportunities with the Plainfield-based station, which is broadening its community programming;
  
  
• UCEDC (formerly the Union County Economic Development Corporation), a certified statewide small business development nonprofit that is getting a lot of press attention recently for its 'microloan' program -- which makes possible small loans from $500 to $35,000 for qualifying small businesses; and
  
  
• LAURIE WOOG, ESQ., an immigration attorney who specializes in employment-related immigration matters and is based in Westfield and Scotch Plains.

The long-running Thursday evening summer concerts and car shows at Plainwood Square Park will be featured again this year, on an every-two-week cycle from May through August, all under the nimble leadership of Plainfield's favorite event planner, Pat Fields. (I'll have more on that as time approaches.)

Keeping an eye on the clock -- and her promise to keep the meeting to one hour -- Donna gently moved along those who took a little too long with their presentations, leaving time at the end for some remarks and a good-natured give-and-take with Council President Annie McWilliams.

A topic of concern addressed to the Council President was the proposed health inspection fee changes. (Health Officer Mark Colicchio had been expected at the February meeting -- postponed on account of weather -- and was re-invited to this meeting, but was a no-show.)

Councilor McWilliams took pains to assure the merchants that the Council was aware of their concerns, both as to the size of any proposed increases and how to phase them in.

Saying there were questions about whether some of the municipal comparisons made by Colicchio were apt, McWilliams reassured business owners that the Council was looking at a phased introduction of the new inspection fees.

However, she was firm in pointing out that they have not been revised for many years (Colicchio has said fifteen years), while the cost of performing the inspections has gone up. She noted that the fees (by state law) are not allowed to be set as 'money raisers', but are supposed to reflect the true costs of maintaining the public health aspect of food-handling businesses, which requires both time spent in inspecting businesses and administrative overhead for record-keeping mandated by the state.

After some short, sharp repartée over whether merchants receive any benefits or services for the taxes they pay (thank you, Joe Albanese, 'mayor of South Avenue'!), which McWilliams handled with aplomb, Donna adjourned the meeting at 10:05 AM, an hour after its start.

Maybe the Council could offer her a consultancy in meeting management?

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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(Belated) Happy Birthday to a Texas Weiner aficionado!

Plainfield's Texas Weiner I has been servin' 'em up since 1924.

A belated 'Happy Birthday' to a young-at-heart old Plainfield friend, an aficionado of the local version of the Texas Weiner.

Looking out the window, I'm afraid the picture below is the only one you'll get to enjoy this snowy day!

Though old-timers recall Schickhaus wieners (the actually correct spelling of America's favorite sausage) were used, at least one observer believes Grote & Weigel is the brand of griddle franks in use today.

Though the Texas Weiner I on Watchung Avenue has been in business -- at the same location -- since 1924 (see my post from 2008 here), the Library of Congress credits the Texas dog as having been created in Paterson, NJ (see here).

But then, what does the Library of Congress know?

Enjoy!

Here are some comments recalling Plainfield's Texas Weiners from a post on the food blog Chowhound --

I've been gone from Jersey, since '76, but still have fond memories of the Texas Weiners in Plainfield, NJ.

In fact, I was just discussing them on Monday, with my uncle (83), and wondered if anyone knows where I can obtain some of the Schickhaus franks that they use (or at least used to use)? I've tried searching the web, but have come up empty.

Thanks,
Jack

C. Jack Coleman II Jul 05, 2001 07:18AM

1. re: C. Jack Coleman II

   Try search engine google. type in Schickhaus.I tried this and found that Delicous Orchards in Colts Neck sells them.

   Gene Jul 05, 2001 10:50AM

2. re: C. Jack Coleman II

   I just found this site that gives you the name of local dealers

   Link: http://www.freshsale.com/brandshop/b/...

   Gene Jul 05, 2001 10:59AM

3. re: C. Jack Coleman II

   The one on Watchung Ave. is the best. I usually go there once a week. My mom still lives in Plainfield. When I go to visit I always have a couple of Death Dogs.

   Phil Rys Aug 22, 2001 08:35PM

   1. re: Phil Rys

      I see that this review of Texas Wieners in Plainfield is many years old....but I grew up there and remember them at 25 cents for "the works"...Whenever back in town I get 8 w/the works....and eat 2 while driving back to LI and micro the rest when home....I have a recipe for a close chili sauce which is close...but the Schichouse dog cannot be duplicated...Johnny b

      johnnyb510 Jun 17, 2009 03:17PM

4. re: C. Jack Coleman II

   Your right, the one on Watchung Avenue is the best.
   
   Since I moved to West Palm Beach in 74, I've tryed to find the Shickhause Natural Casing Franks. They are not sold in Florida. If anyone knows of a meat supply house in Jersey that will ship to Florida please let me know. at ABSluzenski@aol.com.
   
   I would also like to find out how to make the Texas Weiner sause they use at the Watchung Avenue or Rt.22 Texas Weiner locations.
   
   Thanks in advance
   Al Sluzenski

Note these comments on a single post span eight years, a testimony to the power of the Deadly Dog!

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• Library of Congress: "Paterson's Hot Texas Wiener Tradition"
• Plainfield Today: "Five for Monday (including Texas Weiners)"
• Chowhound: "Texas Weiners"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Dairy Queen celebrates 35 years with a 'Thank You' to Plainfield

Three generations of DQ: Joe and Adele Albanese, daughter Donna, and grandson Richard.

Taking on Dairy Queen's new Plainfield store thirty-five years ago was a big gamble for Joe and Adele Albanese. The gamble paid off well, and the Albanese family -- now three generations strong -- is thanking Plainfielders for a wonderful time together with half-off on all cakes Thursday through Saturday.

Donna and her sister had been working at the Dairy Queen in Cranford when the new store on South Avenue was being built by the DQ corporation. A district manager was so impressed with the young women's business sense that he persuaded their parents, Joe and Adele, that they were just the kind of people who could take on the new Plainfield DQ operation and make it flourish.

"It was a big gamble," said Joe, "but after talking it through, we decided as a family to make the jump."

At the time, Joe was working full-time at Western Electric in Kearney (from which he eventually retired after 29 years), which meant Adele and the girls had to handle most of the operation. "We could never have done it without Adele putting in those 14-hour days," Joe said.

Donna decorates a Birthday Cake.

Today, the family business embraces three generations, with grandson Richard DeMair having taken over management of the store from his mother, Donna Albanese-DeMair.

While trying to snatch a brief interview with the family, mid-day on a Monday, we were interrupted with a steady stream of customers getting a variety of ice cream treats or ordering cakes for later pickup.

Asked about the expected response to the half-off offer on the delicious (so I'm partisan!) Dairy Queen cakes, Donna said, "Oh my God, we'll probably be swamped."

Even in these hard times, it seems folks can make room for a DQ treat.

When asked about changing tastes in ice cream treats, Donna said that while in the early days it was all about cones and sundaes and toppings, the counter business is today dominated by the 'Blizzard'.

"Kids just love getting ice cream AND a treat swirled into it," she said. (The Blizzard will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this spring, but that's another story.)

Within a short time of taking on the store, the family was approached about not just managing it but buying the franchise. About a year later, they were offered an opportunity to buy the entire building. "We were working on a shoestring," Joe said, "but each opportunity made sense and somehow we put it together."

"Just to be sure, though," Adele added, "Joe kept working two jobs for TEN years."

When it was clear the business was a go, Joe says he told daughter Donna that she was free to devote half her time to community activities.

And those who are familiar with the history of South Avenue businesses know what that means.

Donna became the motivating force -- encouraging and sometimes nudging her fellow merchants, as well as lobbying city government for more attention to be paid to Plainfield's second most important business asset, the South Avenue business corridor.

Donna and I first worked together on Mayor Al McWilliams' strategic planning initiative, which engaged more than 500 residents and business owners in an 18-month process of developing strategic goals for the city's neighborhoods and businesses.

With a light touch, a quick wit and an infectious laugh, Donna quickly became one of the leaders of the core group which nursed the process along.

The Plainwood Square Merchants Association became a model for the rest of the business community in how to organize, to be persistent and to achieve reasonable goals -- among which they can claim the South Avenue business improvement project (which updated the roadway, lighting and signage) and the creation of Plainwood Square Park from an oversize and somewhat neglected traffic island.

Besides being active in the community, the Albanese family has provided hundreds of Plainfield youngsters over the years with their first real job, their first encounter with adult responsibilities, and their introduction to the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurialism.

While the store currently has 33 employees (nine are family members), Donna is always thrilled when former employees, now parents and successful professionals or business owners in their own right, stop by with their kids for a DQ treat and catch up on the family and the local gossip.

"We're just like a really big family," Donna says.

True enough, and that's why the Albaneses better get ready for the onslaught during their 'Thank You' sale.

Take-along slips remind customers of the upcoming half-off sale.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Is Sears closing its Watchung store?

Sears' Watchung store began life in Plainfield.

Plainfielders who shop the Sears store on Route 22 in Watchung may have heard rumors that the store is closing. In fact, it is repeated in an item in Advance's Independent weekly, dated yesterday (see here).

The Watchung location, which had its beginnings with the Sears store at West Front Street and Central Avenue in Plainfield, was built as the car-driven expansion of suburban shopping hit its stride in the 1960s. I was told when I moved to Plainfield that the Watchung store was among Sears' most profitable at the time.

But how times have changed. Over the years, Sears somehow lost its luster as shoppers turned away from its 'good-better-best' 3-tiered merchandising strategy to higher-end, specialized stores with flashier merchandise.

(My Kenmore refrigerator and range are still going strong after more than 25 years, though I can't say the same for the dishwasher.)

In recent years, I have hardly ever seen the parking lots full and the back lot that used to lead into the hardware and appliances department is in a pretty sad state.

At any rate, rumors of the Watchung store's demise seem exaggerated -- at least for now.

The editors at the Independent evidently did not do their homework on the Chicago Tribune's business story on Sears store closings (see here).

While the Trib mistakenly refers to a closing in Plainfield, New Jersey, it is actually the SOUTH Plainfield Sears Essentials store that will be closing.

Watchung has been spared.

For now.

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• Independent Press: "Is Watchung Sears going to close? Seems likely."
• Chicago Tribune: "Sears to close eight store"
• Courier: "Sears Essentials in South Plainfield to close"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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