This little corner store in Carroll Gardens caught my eye last week. It was shuttered in the middle of the day, so I was unsure if it was still open for business. I looked it up later, expecting to find the same old story about a small business being priced out by skyrocketing rent, or a business owner who'd reached retirement age without a successor. What I found out was quite different and unexpected!
The store is owned by Vinny Taliercio. It opened in 1945, one of three meat markets owned by his grandfather, Placido Scopelliti. His daughter, Marie, married Vincent Taliercio, who took over the meat market and diversified it into a general store. After Vincent's death in 1986, son Vinny joined his mother and two brothers in running the store. Vinny, now 65, is the only surviving sibling, and their children did not join the business.
I didn't get to see the inside, but a New York Times article describes it like this: "Take all the random stuff out of that dresser drawer where it tends to land, and all that stuff's distant cousins in the kitchen drawer, and the exotic little screws and bolts from the untouched corners of the toolbox. Put them all on shelves in a dark little room, add coolers stocked with beer, and declare everything for sale. That's pretty much the business model at the Smith Union Market in Brooklyn." It's a local landmark, an institution in the neighborhood, and a meeting place for local elders.
So why the shuttered doors? Well, in February, Mr. Taliercio was arrested in a sweep of Genovese Organized Crime Family. He's alleged to have acted as a middleman for a mafia gambling network. Reportedly, he was caught on police wiretaps arranging bets between the mafia and bettors, including celebrities including Charlie Sheen, Tony Danza, Paul Sorvino, James Caan, Larry David, and James L Brooks.
Mr. Taliercio made bail and has been back at the store, but I guess he has some matters to take care of. He, of course, denies the allegations. "I work 98 hours a week, seven days a week," he says. "No mobster works those hours."
Sources:
Behind Old Doors: Smith Union Market
NY Times: Corner Store Owner Denies Family Ties: All Five Families
https://www.casino.org/news/charlie-sheen-james-caan-hollywood-celebs-caught-up-in-mafia-gambling-sting
No comments:
Post a Comment