OUR NEIGHBORHOOD The Way It Was.......

A 1945 view that shows stores along Myrtle Avenue, with Cooper Avenue cutting north, in Glendale. Note the sign, at right, of the Gulf Service Station. It's always a pleasure to hear from readers regarding an item that sparked their interest.

Typically, it's the discussion of a particular subject that motivates some people to begin thinking about their own memories. We can think of no better example than the recent submissions we have received regarding the German bake shops in our neighborhood.

Readers continue to send their comments about their favorite local bakeries and we are pleased to receive all of them.

Sometimes, it's not only a matter of "what," but "who," as a familiarity with the person doing the remembering may move another reader to write.

Such is the case this week. In the "Our Neighborhood" column that appeared in the Apr. 30, 2009 issue of this newspaper, we presented some comments by Noel Grebinger of Glendale, who has made a number of contributions to this feature over the years.

As Mr. Grebinger has advised, there was a time when the area in the vicinity of the intersection of Cooper and Myrtle avenues in Glendale was known as Jakobs Corner.

Trolleys were headed in opposite directions in this 1950 photo, submitted by reader Noel Grebinger of Myrtle Avenue in Glendale. It is a view looking east and the street crossing Myrtle Avenue in the middle of the photo is 71st Street. Bob's Diner on the south side of Myrtle Avenue is visible below the Krug's Bread sign. Herman and Bill Jakobs were the father and uncle, respectively, of Mr. Grebinger's wife, Ruth. The brothers were partners in the Glendale Bowling Alley, 71-48 Myrtle Ave. In addition, Ruth's grandparents once owned an ice cream parlor where a pizzeria now operates at 70-05 Myrtle Ave. Meanwhile, George Johnson, another of Ruth's uncles, owned the nearby Gulf Service Station.

Mr. Grebinger also mentioned his mother-in-law, Bertha Jakobs, who worked at the P & M Department Store across from St. Pancras School.

This week, we have an interesting letter from reader Mary Kern, a lifelong resident of Glendale.

She writes: "After reading the April 30 'Our Neighborhood the Way It Was,' I felt Noel Grebinger was speaking to me when he asked, 'Do any old timers remember my motherin law, Bertha Jakobs?'

"Yes, I do! I was born in a coldwater flat on 67th Place, Glendale, directly across the street from the Jakobs family. Mrs. Jakobs was a young widow with a 22-month-old daughter (Ruth, Noel's wife) during the worst years of The Depression— those were the years before welfare, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Mrs. Jakobs had to work and left her toddler with a friend and neighbor in the house next to us. Ruth and I became childhood friends.

"Noel also mentions the P & M, a small dry goods store run by two partners who, I believe, were brothers.

"While Lobel's in Ridgewood was the high-end department store where girls went for their white Communion and Confirmation dresses and the boys got their navy-blue suits (alterations were included in the price), P & M was your everyday wear store. Socks, underwear, pajamas, blouses, skirts, shirts, pants and those beautiful cotton dresses the moms wore. Mrs. Jakobs was the friendly, smiling face that greeted on entering the store.

"I remember needing a white middy blouse and yellow tie, the required attire for the weekly assembly programs at P.S. 91, but my mother did not have the money to lay out. P & M had a credit policy: your name was entered into a book next to a row of columns and each week, my mother would pay five cents until the blouse and tie were paid in full (I don't think P & M charged interest).

"Mrs. Jakobs worked at P & M well into her late seventies and Ruth has followed in her mother's footsteps. For over 40 years, Ruth is still the hardworking, helpful, caring school aide to the thousands of children who have passed through the doors of P.S. 91, including my own two children.

"Although Noel came from Jamaica, it is obvious he is smitten with Glendale and many of us who were born and raised in Glendale never left."

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Having mentioned the popularity of local bakeries as a topic of continuing discussion, we have an interesting message that arrived via e-mail from reader Ed Heinsohn, a former resident of our neighborhood.

He writes: "My name is Ed Heinsohn and I lived at 70-12 67th Pl. in Glendale. This was my grandparents' house, which, after they passed away, my mom and aunt inherited.

"I now live in New Hyde Park, Long Island. My mom, Lorraine, lived in the house from 1923 until 2006, when she moved to a retirement home out by me.

"I have been reading your articles about the many German bakeries we once had in Ridgewood and Glendale. They brought back many fine memories of the numerous 'kaffee klotches' (coffee and cake gatherings) that were held because of those fine bakeries. I had the privilege to work at Ernst Pastry on Myrtle Avenue, across the street from Zum Stammtisch restaurant in Glendale.

"The shop was owned by Willi and Lisa Ernst from, I believe, 1960 until they sold it in 1981 or so. I started there in 1964 as a porter and I cleaned the pots, pans and everything else in the shop that needed to be scrubbed. I worked every afternoon while in high school, Tuesday through Sunday. They were great people and because of that, I continued to work there all through my college days at St. Francis College in Brooklyn.

"After I returned from serving in the Navy, I worked there on weekends to augment my New York Telephone salary. My cousin, Steve Lewandowski, inherited the porter job and I moved up to learning how to bake.

"Mr. Ernst was a great baker, who worked for Bauer's Bakery in Manhattan before he bought the shop in Glendale. He baked the cake for President Eisenhower's inauguration in 1956. Mr. Ernst taught me many things through those years. We had long political talks over the baker's bench and he took me to Lundy's in Sheepshead Bay and taught me to enjoy raw oysters. He, being German, and I, being of German descent, always enjoyed a beer together. These were great times with great people.

"The Ernsts owned the bakery over 20 years, but Mr. Ernst always told me that there had been a German bakery at that location going back to 1904, I believe. This would make it one of the oldest bakeries in the area.

"The sad note is that Mrs. Lisa Ernst passed away in March of this year and she will surely be missed. Mr. Ernst lives in the Catskills now and my cousin and I are going to visit him this weekend."

Old Timer's note—The comments we received from Ms. Kern and Mr. Heinsohn—and previously, from Mr. Grebinger—call to mind the area of Glendale in the vicinity of Cooper and Myrtle avenues.

We have two photos to share. The view looking east on Myrtle Avenue, which shows two trolleys, was photographed in 1950 and was provided by Mr. Grebinger. The other photo, showing Cooper Avenue as it cuts north of Myrtle Avenue, was taken in 1945. We are grateful to the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society for making it available to us.

* * * We have received another mesyou sage via e-mail from William Metzelaar, a bakery buff and former resident of our neighborhood who now resides in Ocala, Fla.

He writes: "Thank you for your latest column, describing Ridgewood bakeries and other stores.

"Robert Klein of Gainesville, Fla. mentions the bake shop on Fresh Pond Road and Madison Street. I lived on Forest Avenue near Catalpa Avenue from 1928 to 1940; then on Woodbine Street near Fresh Pond Road from 1940 to 1960 and remember fondly the bake shop Mr. Klein mentions.

"The name was Knupfers, from about 1940 to 1955, then it changed to Ratchiks. They made delicious 'open fruit cakes'—peach, plum, apple—and also 'upside-down cakes' with a pineapple slice and a cherry on top, not to mention their delicious butter cakes and crumb cakes.

"Speaking of bakeries, there was Rustman's, a few blocks east of Forest Avenue. Their bakery ovens were downstairs and you entered through a building that housed J. Wolfe Chasen, a local attorney. Turning left, a flight of stairs led down to the bakery, which produced only breads.

"During the Depression years, my father would give me ten cents for a rye bread that was one-day old and considered stale. They were in large bins, ready for anyone who wanted to purchase. So, for a dime, I carried the unsliced loaf home four blocks. The bread was about two feet in length— no exaggeration. The family had bread for a week.

"Perhaps some of the old-time Ridgewood people remember Rustman's.

"Thanks for posting these happy memories."

Old Timer's note—We wonder how many of our readers, as they digest Mr. Metzelaar's remembrances, may be wishing that they could sample a piece of that upside-down cake with the pineapple slice and cherry on top.

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For those who appreciate the architecture of Manhattan's skyline and art deco design, the date of this issue represents a noteworthy anniversary.

May 28, 1930 saw the opening of the Chrysler Building on Lexington Avenue. For a while, the 77-story structure ranked as the world's tallest building—until the Empire State Building was completed the following year.

Even so, with its distinctive ornamentation and gleaming crown—a series of arches clad in stainless steel—the Chrysler Building remains a favorite among New Yorkers.

Old Timer's note—If you have any remembrances or comments that you would like to share with our readers, write to the Old Timer, c/o Times Newsweekly, P.O. Box 860299, Ridgewood, NY 11386-0299.

To send a submission via e-mail, our e-mail address is Old Timer@timesnewsweekly.com.