Home furnishings and collectibles in the retro design style now known as Mid-Century Modern are all the rage – particularly among the generations who weren’t yet alive during the decades when that look first burst on the scene. Finding an original Eames chair at a thrift shop might be serious cause for celebration for a Millennial or Gen Z person setting up their first real home.
Even rarer these days is a commercial building originally constructed back when those “futuristic” shapes were fresh and new that remains structurally sound and true to its roots in both design and function. Stainless-steel-clad diners are preserved, rehabilitated and cherished in the communities where they survived. If you’re lucky, you can find one that still serves the kind of nostalgic food that might’ve been popular back in the Forties, Fifties and Sixties.
A storied history
In New Paltz, one of the most beloved eateries since it was built in 1953 is the drive-in at 81 North Chestnut Street (Route 32 North). It started life as JD’s Dairy Bar, the retail outlet for a dairy farm on Huguenot Street belonging to the Jewett family. Dave Jewett, his wife Mac and their kids ran the place for three decades, selling soft-serve ice cream when that was still a glorious new invention, along with hot dogs and other snacks. Topped by a sign in the shape of an ice-cream cone that is said to have weighed 600 pounds, JD’s became a magnet for kids and families who came to play Little League games in the baseball field out back or swim in Moriello Pool a block east. Many older New Paltz residents still speak fondly of hanging out at the ice-cream stand, or having their first real job there.
In 1983, Dave Jewett sold the already venerable building to Walter Sarafian, Sr.
Anthony Prizzia takes up the tale: “Sarafian ran it as JD’s, selling ice cream and hot dogs until he went to jail for trying to kill his wife. Then he sold the business to Dominic Scavo – must’ve been the mid-to-late Eighties. He changed the name to Village Pizza. I worked there, as one of the five jobs that I had while putting myself through college. On April 1, 1993, I bought it from Dom. After Walter got out of prison and broke his probation, they dissolved the receivership and sold me the property. I ran it as a pizzeria for 23 years. In 2016, I sold the business to Renee Mitchell and Meghan Wagner, two of my employees.”
Prizzia, who kept ownership of the building, has a long memory and a treasure trove of stories to share about the former JD’s. Even while specializing in pizza, he retained the Fifties aesthetic of the building and the massive ice-cream cone on the roof that was a frequent target for vandalism.
“The cone was stolen once by college kids,” Prizzia remembers. “They threw it in the back of a pickup truck and just destroyed it. That’s when I had Armand [Conine] construct a new one. He was an artist from Gardiner.”
The proposed new cone was designed with an open wooden latticework base, more delicate in look and lighter in weight than the original – not to mention less likely to be blown down in a windstorm. But still it provoked controversy, falling afoul of a short-lived effort by the village planning board to enact a new zoning ordinance that would prohibit signage of that type. Prizzia calls the whole affair a debacle: “I had to mount a Save the Cone campaign. But as it turned out, they never passed the sign ordinance. Good thing, because they would’ve had to kill me.”
That tradition has become a matter of honor and pride for Prizzia. In the decades since, ownership of the pizza business changed hands from Mitchell and Wagner to Mike Katz and his wife Lara Alicandro, who added a line of Cuban food. But Prizzia has always insisted on putting a stipulation in the lease requiring that the ice-cream cone remain in place, honoring the building’s 72-year history. “I don’t care if they’re selling sneakers,” he says. “The cone can’t come off the roof.”
Introducing Shorties
Over the years, 81 North Chestnut never totally lost its Fifties vibe, thanks largely to the building’s exterior shape; the inward-slanting glass-front façade still reverberates with remembered sock hops and doo-wop. But under the various management teams who each made their own alterations to the space, the interior gradually came to look less like an ice-cream emporium and more like a pizzeria. The Katzes pushed the vintage pinball machines into a corner to make room for more seating and bigger display cases for the different varieties of slices available. They also got a wine and beer license.
They soldiered on through the trials of Covid, but the difficulties of hiring and retaining staff during and after the pandemic took their toll, and by last summer the Katz/Alicandro family were ready to call it quits.
On the lookout for new tenants, Prizzia learned of the plight of the owners of Huckleberry and Darlings, who were about to lose their New Paltz location off Church Street: “I sent a message when I heard their landlord tripled their rent. They came to see the space, and we signed the papers within days,” he relates. “They’re super-sweet people. I wish them the best of luck.”
The new owners – Julie Dabbs-Simkiss, Madi Taylor, Luke Peters and Leah Allen – were delighted to find a way to maintain a presence in New Paltz after giving up the problematic Huckleberry space. “Village Pizza for a long time was an integral place in the community for families to go,” Dabbs-Simkiss notes. “Madi and I have always been in love with that building. We wanted to do something on a smaller scale.”
She sees the former JD’s/Village Pizza as “a way to get lighter and have fun in the business. Huckleberry felt heavy toward the end. We had a lot of issues with the building. It felt like the building didn’t support us any more.”
In transitioning from a bar/restaurant that stayed open late and catered to a crowd of childfree younger adults to a daytime destination for busy families, the new owners of the business fully embraced the potential of the building’s vintage look.
Full circle
Its name is now Shorties, and its newest iteration brings the history of JD’s and Village Pizza full circle. “The building doesn’t take itself too seriously. We’ve leaned into the Mid-Century features and décor,” says Dabbs-Simkiss. “We wanted it to feel like a mix of a Fifties diner and a Palm Springs bar in the Fifties…. We’re calling ourselves a ‘hot-dog tiki bar.’”
Indeed, the most noticeable change to the interior is the addition of a large bar, painted bright red and topped with aqua tiles. Fancy cocktails are available for $15, including a couple that Huckleberry patrons might remember fondly: Spooky Lady Sideshow (named for a Kris Kristofferson song) and Miss Carousel (after a Townes Van Zandt song). Two flavors of soft-serve ice cream still on the menu are used in the mixing of four different tiki bar offerings.
Pizza has been discontinued, though, and the drive-up window has been blocked off. Instead, the food menu emphasizes all the delectable things that can be done to jazz up an all-beef or vegan hot dog.
We tried the Chili Baked Bean Dog ($8) and pronounced it superior. “The Hot Dog Tower is kind of our mascot. It’s great fun to walk it to the table,” Dabbs-Simkiss says. This family-sized extravaganza ($42) is constructed of twelve mini-dogs, curly fries, cole slaw, baked beans, and your choice of three condiments. Sandwich offerings ($15) include a Tofu Reuben, Filet o’ Fish and a New Paltz Cheese Steak made with shaved Kilcoyne Farms beef. Healthy options include salad and a pozole bowl, plus vegan and gluten-free versions of various dishes. “It’s all-American bar food. Everything is fresh and made in-house.”
Besides the new bar, everything about the latest renovations supports the mid-century vibe. The game room is back, with pinball and an “old-school videogame console.” The booths are divided by what look like bamboo bed headboards. The walls are covered with wood paneling and mirrors. Orange plaid curtains screen out some of the bright easterly sunshine, and the benches are upholstered in orange fabric, reminiscent of the glory days of Howard Johnson restaurants. Potted palms and hanging houseplants soften the look and reinforce the subtropical tiki atmosphere.
Most impressive are the improvements to the exterior seating area, where the four owners draw on their experience with Huckleberry’s rear deck and side yard. They’ve painted the front wall bright red, built sturdy benches, and installed shrubbery that together create a visual barrier separating the outdoor space from busy Route 32.
Seven exterior tables and a long counter are all well-shaded under awnings and patio umbrellas. It’s an appealing place to gather on a sunshiny day or a cool summer evening.
Shorties opened to the public on June 27 and is currently open from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Dabbs-Simkiss says that eventually they will begin opening earlier on weekends, and perhaps add another day of operation. You can peruse the menu at www.shortiesny.com and look for updates at www.instagram.com/shortiesny. “We were so appreciative at Huckleberry of how supportive everyone was when we had to close. Now we’re overjoyed to be back and see everyone again. It feels really good.”
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