Spring Lake Historical Society - Walking Tour of 3rd Ave.

- Block 5 -

FIFTH BLOCK OF THE TOUR
(Third Avenue Washington to Jersey)

(Looking west on Washington Ave.) Where Edmonds Real Estate is now, was once Leonard Newman Plumbing and later Dangler's Plumbing. In September, 1934, The Morro Castle caught fire off our coast. Area residents manned boats and helped to rescue victims from the storm tossed sea. Pathe' News set up cameras on the second story porch and filmed the survivors being taken to the First Aid Building for treatment. The newsreels were shown in theaters throughout the country.
On the west side of the block were an A & P, Jeffrey's Luncheonette, Brown's Luncheonette, Duggan Bakery, Getsinger's, the Acme, P. Brown Real Estate, Fay Lane, The Spring Lake Barber Shop, Hemphill's Gift Shop, William Potter's Dry Goods, Cobb's Department Store, Jahn Electric, O.H. Brown's.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BLOCK
A & P (Spring Lake Travel #1323 Third Avenue)

At one time, there were two A&P's in town simultaneously. This was the big A & P. It seems unusual to us today to have two A & P's, meat markets, fruit and vegetable markets, and fish markets on the same street. This was before large supermarkets. Markets tended to be small and specialized. Also, before refrigerators, people kept their food in ice boxes and so bought only enough food for the day. Summer guests brought their entire households with them and so large amounts of food had to be purchased daily.

1956 photo from the collection of
The Spring Lake Historical Society
Jigs and Eddie, who later owned the Center Food Market down a block on the east side of Third, (Lasting Impressions) worked here. A balloon man sold balloons on the corner by the A & P. There were also venders who walked up and down the street. There was an organ grinder with a monkey and a man with a parrot who told fortunes.

BROWN'S LUNCHEONETTE
(1321 Third Avenue, Sister's Cafe)

Originally a combination stationery store and soda fountain, Brown's later expanded to include a luncheonette. Brown's was very popular because of the excellent soda they made. Their cherry cokes and lime rickies were particular favorites. The book cases along the south wall of Sister's Cafe were originally part of the soda fountain and were used for storage of glasses.

WILLIAM F RANDOLPH & CO.
(#1317 Third Avenue)

Established in the late 19th century, this is another business which began in the First Avenue business district before the Monmouth fire. William Randolph sold ice cream and ices. The ice cream was made on Washington Avenue and delivered to homes and hotels all over town. At this location was the ice cream parlor. The ice cream was apparently very good, for Mr. Randolph was often seen sitting by the front door polishing off a quart of ice cream at one sitting.
William Randolph's Ice Cream Parlor
Elsie White Tootell is behind the counter ca. 1927-28
from The Spring Lake Historical Society collection

GETSINGER'S
(Spring Lake Boutique and Therese M. Carey)

This store which specialized in foreign and domestic groceries, was established in 1884. Staple and fancy groceries were offered as well as wines and imported liquors. His business was once located on Jersey Avenue but as the Third Avenue began to flourish, Mr. Getsinger purchased this property.

H. GETSINGER, Wholesale and Retail Grocer
from the collection of Marie Wingard
Herman Getsinger served as councilman for 24 years, first for North Spring Like and then for Spring Like when the boroughs were consolidated. He served the borough when it was relatively new and had to occasionally dip into his own pockets in order to fund necessary work for which there were insufficient tax revenues (Spring Lake Gazette, Dec.29, 1916).

Mr. Getsinger was also a member of the Spring Like Board of Education for 25 years. A large part of that time, he served as president of the board. Liter there was an Acme at this location.

THE SPRING LAKE BARBER SHOP
(#1309 Third Avenue)

There has always been a barber shop here. In the early part of this century, it was owned by a Mr. Castellucci who loved the opera. Customers were treated to opera music which he played all day long, with their hair cut. Mr. Castellucci's son became a painter. One of his painting hangs in the shop. Another is in the Patterson Museum. Damiano Rabbeni, a native of Sicily, bought the business in 1965.

WILLIAM H. POTTER DRY GOODS and YE TOWN SHOP

Born on July 3, 1859, William Potter began his merchandising career as a clerk in his father's store where he worked until 1878. That year, he went to work for Steinbach Brothers on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park. in 1884, he decided to enter the dry goods business on his own and he built his store on Third Avenue in what was then known as Brighton. As was true with many of the early businessmen, he had diversified interests. In 1885 he took up the real estate and insurance business which he conducted from his store. He also served as councilman for the borough of North Spring Lake which is what Brighton was then called, and served as vice president of the First National Bank of Spring Lake. He served as mayor of Spring Lake briefly, but was unable to complete his term of office. He died unexpectedly following an operation for appendicitis. He died on May 25, 1907.

J. Frank Cobb established his dry goods and general merchandise business here in July, 1907. Like Potter, he too worked for the Steinbach Company of Asbury Park. He ran a very successful business here for many years. He sold dry goods and notions, bed and table linens, men's furnishings, shoes, boots, and stationery. When the survivors of the Morro Castle were brought to the First Aid Station on Washington Avenue, Cobb sent his clerks up with blankets taken from his shelves.

One afternoon in 1946, Fran Allison was having her hair done at the beauty parlor across the street, and she asked the hairdresser, "What did they ever do with that store?" Cobbs had been vacant for some time. The hairdresser replied, "You'd be good with that business." Miss Allison purchased the store and for the past 51 years she has been here serving 3 generations of customers. Pat Giblin, Miss Allison's niece, is the store's manager and buyer. She has been working in the store since the fifties. when she started as a high school student
If you look to the second story of the store, you can still see the original structure of William Potter's store. The porch was enclosed in 1956, to provide a display window for Ye Town Shop.

O.H. BROWN'S
(Spring Lake Variety)

The son of a tailor, Oliver Huff Brown was born on December 12, 1852 near Farmingdale. At the age of 18, he entered the employment of William Laird in a general store in New Branch (now Avon). He worked there for about two years and then went to work in the furniture store of John A. Githens of Asbury Park. He worked there for about eight years becoming the manager of the store. In 1879, he took a leave of absence from the store to visit relatives in Scotland and to visit the major cities of Europe. There, he developed a taste for finer things than he was used to on the Jersey shore. He returned to Asbury Park with lots of new ideas and with the $5,500 he was able to save up, he decided to enter business for himself. He "wanted to cater to people of refinement and culture" (Spring Lake Gazette, July 6, 1923) and so in 1882, he purchased three lots on Third Avenue. He had originally hoped to locate near the railroad station where there were already a number of stores, but the owner of the property he was considering did not want a store on the property. O.H. Brown had naturally good taste which was augmented by his frequent buying trips to Europe. His store was an immediate success, and he was soon shipping merchandise to all parts of this country.

Third Avenue looking south O.H. Brown's is on the left
In 1946, O.H. Brown's Furniture was razed. Quenzer's 5 and 10 was built in the late 1940's. It was a popular place especially with the children of Spring Lake. In the early 1950's, it became Casagrande's 5 & 10. George Bratt owned it for a short time and in January, 1971, Dick and Peggy Height bought the store. A second generation of Heights now own the business.

In 1993, Rick and Lynn Height took over the business. The Spring Lake Variety Store today, carries everything you could possibly need and even things that you forgot that you needed.

BROWN'S LUNCHEONETTE *(1321 Third Avenue, Sister's Cafe)*
Originally a combination stationery store and soda fountain, Brown's later expanded to include a luncheonette. Brown's was very popular because of the excellent soda they made. Their cherry cokes and lime rickies were particular favorites. The book cases along the south wall of Sister's Cafe were originally part of the soda fountain and were used for storage of glasses.

GETSINGER'S *(Spring Lake Boutique and Therese M. Carey)* This store which specialized in foreign and domestic groceries, was established in 1884. Staple and fancy groceries were offered as well as wines and imported liquors. His business was once located on Jersey Avenue but as the Third Avenue began to flourish, Mr. Getsinger purchased this property.
H. GETSINGER, Wholesale and Retail Grocer from the collection of Marie Wingard	Herman Getsinger served as councilman for 24 years, first for North Spring Like and then for Spring Like when the boroughs were consolidated. He served the borough when it was relatively new and had to occasionally dip into his own pockets in order to fund necessary work for which there were insufficient tax revenues (Spring Lake Gazette, Dec.29, 1916).
Mr. Getsinger was also a member of the Spring Like Board of Education for 25 years. A large part of that time, he served as president of the board. Liter there was an Acme at this location.

WILLIAM H. POTTER DRY GOODS and YE TOWN SHOP Born on July 3, 1859, William Potter began his merchandising career as a clerk in his father's store where he worked until 1878. That year, he went to work for Steinbach Brothers on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park. in 1884, he decided to enter the dry goods business on his own and he built his store on Third Avenue in what was then known as Brighton. As was true with many of the early businessmen, he had diversified interests. In 1885 he took up the real estate and insurance business which he conducted from his store. He also served as councilman for the borough of North Spring Lake which is what Brighton was then called, and served as vice president of the First National Bank of Spring Lake. He served as mayor of Spring Lake briefly, but was unable to complete his term of office. He died unexpectedly following an operation for appendicitis. He died on May 25, 1907.
J. Frank Cobb established his dry goods and general merchandise business here in July, 1907. Like Potter, he too worked for the Steinbach Company of Asbury Park. He ran a very successful business here for many years. He sold dry goods and notions, bed and table linens, men's furnishings, shoes, boots, and stationery. When the survivors of the Morro Castle were brought to the First Aid Station on Washington Avenue, Cobb sent his clerks up with blankets taken from his shelves.
One afternoon in 1946, Fran Allison was having her hair done at the beauty parlor across the street, and she asked the hairdresser, "What did they ever do with that store?" Cobbs had been vacant for some time. The hairdresser replied, "You'd be good with that business." Miss Allison purchased the store and for the past 51 years she has been here serving 3 generations of customers. Pat Giblin, Miss Allison's niece, is the store's manager and buyer. She has been working in the store since the fifties. when she started as a high school student If you look to the second story of the store, you can still see the original structure of William Potter's store. The porch was enclosed in 1956, to provide a display window for Ye Town Shop.

O.H. BROWN'S *(Spring Lake Variety)* The son of a tailor, Oliver Huff Brown was born on December 12, 1852 near Farmingdale. At the age of 18, he entered the employment of William Laird in a general store in New Branch (now Avon). He worked there for about two years and then went to work in the furniture store of John A. Githens of Asbury Park. He worked there for about eight years becoming the manager of the store. In 1879, he took a leave of absence from the store to visit relatives in Scotland and to visit the major cities of Europe. There, he developed a taste for finer things than he was used to on the Jersey shore. He returned to Asbury Park with lots of new ideas and with the $5,500 he was able to save up, he decided to enter business for himself. He "wanted to cater to people of refinement and culture" (Spring Lake Gazette, July 6, 1923) and so in 1882, he purchased three lots on Third Avenue. He had originally hoped to locate near the railroad station where there were already a number of stores, but the owner of the property he was considering did not want a store on the property. O.H. Brown had naturally good taste which was augmented by his frequent buying trips to Europe. His store was an immediate success, and he was soon shipping merchandise to all parts of this country.
Third Avenue looking south O.H. Brown's is on the left	In 1946, O.H. Brown's Furniture was razed. Quenzer's 5 and 10 was built in the late 1940's. It was a popular place especially with the children of Spring Lake. In the early 1950's, it became Casagrande's 5 & 10. George Bratt owned it for a short time and in January, 1971, Dick and Peggy Height bought the store. A second generation of Heights now own the business.
In 1993, Rick and Lynn Height took over the business. The Spring Lake Variety Store today, carries everything you could possibly need and even things that you forgot that you needed.