Hoy’s 5 & 10 Celebrates 75th Anniversary

STONE HARBOR — At a time when a gallon of gas cost just 10 cents and a loaf of bread a couple of cents less, Hoy’s 5&10 first opened its doors to the public. The year was 1936 and founder Bernard Joseph Hoy had already put in several years at Woolworth’s. He was ready to try his hand at his own enterprise.
Little could he have known at the time that Hoy’s 5&10 would not only be a successful family business, but it would become a treasured memory for many visiting the Jersey shore—one that still continues today.
This year, the family-owned and managed Hoy’s 5&10 celebrates its 75th anniversary, a milestone for any company but especially so amid the recent economic downturn that has put so many others out of business. Yet Hoy’s 5&10 has persevered, reminiscent of a bygone era where ‘mom and pop’ businesses were the rule rather than the exception.
“When my grandfather started the business, there were no chain stores or large shopping centers,” said David Hoy, now co-owner with siblings Susan Hoy, Elizabeth Furcolo and Georgene Luttmann. “It was the Great Depression, so the idea behind Hoy’s 5&10 was the buying power we had. We were able to buy in bulk and we passed the savings on to the customer. That’s still the case today.”
Hoy opened the first store on Lancaster Avenue in Wilmington, DE. It was a success and he soon moved to a larger location on South Union Street, then North Union Street. One location led the way to two, and eventually 18 different stores open at any given time in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. Stores were opened, or closed, due to demand.
No matter where they were located, Hoy’s 5&10 carried a wide variety of merchandise that was sold at first for five and 10 cents and a bit more. Anything you needed for the home, you could find at Hoy’s. There were house wares and hardware, jewelry and make-up, toiletries, hats, sweatshirts, lamp shades, toys, candy, souvenirs, and when the store was located close to the shore, supplies for the beach.
Early stores had a soda fountain (a.k.a. food counter) where customers could get an inexpensive breakfast, lunch or snack. Up until the 1970s, Hoy’s 5&10 stores also had a pet department that included such exotic animals as alligators, monkeys, snakes, canaries, rabbits and the multi-colored chicks during the Easter season. Today, you might see a collection of hermit crabs but there are no other animals.
Rose Marie Blakely of New Castle, Del., remembers shopping at Hoy’s 5&10 as a teenager. “The store was about five or six blocks from my house so we walked there all the time. It was the place to go. They had these big bins of candy and you’d go in and tell the clerk, ‘I want one of those and two of those.’ In the 1940s and early 1950s, you could buy coloring books or crayons for a dime. That’s how much my mom would give us when we asked for money.”
Blakely remembers that Hoy’s was a valuable resource. “There was no other place to shop, no department stores nearby. But Hoy’s had everything but the kitchen sink. We would stop by there to get some needle and thread or whatever we needed for the house. It was also a great place to buy toys. I remember one Christmas that we decided my brother was too old to get toys. He was probably 10 at the time. But at the last minute, we changed our minds. Luckily, Hoy’s was open late on Christmas Eve. We ran down there and got everything we needed.”
The store also was known for carrying the latest fad or popular item. Over the years, this has included the hula-hoop, pet rocks, Cabbage Patch dolls and Webkinz. In 1975, when Peter Benchley’s book, Jaws, came out, Hoy’s was the only place in Ocean City that had it on the shelves; they had ordered so many copies.
Over the years, generations of families have passed down the Hoy’s tradition to their children, and their children’s children. Founder Bernard Joseph Hoy passed the store down to his sons, Bernard Joseph Hoy, Jr. and William R. Hoy. They in turn passed it to Bernard Joseph Hoy, Jr.’s son, David Hoy and his siblings. David is an integral part of the day-to-day management of the stores. His siblings, while they used to work at Hoy’s, are no longer part of daily operations.
John Garniewski, Sr., who started at Hoy’s in 1939, shortly after it opened, has worked with every one of the Hoy family. John’s own children—all seven of them—have been involved in the business. The company employs 10 full-time staff and hires about 100 for the summer season. Currently, Hoy’s 5&10 has four locations: Ocean City- two stores, Stone Harbor and Avalon.
A 75th Anniversary Celebration
Throughout the year, Hoy’s will feature items that cost 5 or 10 cents at each of its locations, in honor of this special anniversary. There also will be large anniversary cards displayed for customers to sign. Employees will be recognized throughout the year with special gifts. In addition, Hoy’s will amend its popular slogan, “Ship Ahoy Shop A Hoy!” to include “Hoy’s, the fun place to shop for 75 years!”
In August, the Hoy family will host an anniversary party. Local and regional officials, members of the chamber of commerce, employees and members of the press will be invited to join the Hoy family in the celebration.
“The 75th anniversary is a true milestone,” said John P. “Jack” Garniewski, Jr., a former Hoy’s employee. “Going into the 21st century, we still have a place that has the same feel as it did back in the 1950s or 1960s. That is a real tribute to the communities that have supported Hoy’s. We wouldn’t be there today without them.”