STONE HARBOR – Generations of families have passed down the tradition of shopping at Hoy’s 5&10. In much the same way, generations of employees have staffed the family-owned and managed business. As Hoy’s 5&10 celebrates its 75th anniversary, owner David Hoy credits the store’s success to its dedicated staff, which he says created the Hoy’s that families have known and loved for years.
“It’s the employees that made us a success,” he said, “and they continue to do so.”
John Garniewski, Sr.
John P. Garniewski, Sr. was in 8th grade when he started at Hoy’s 5&10 as a stock boy. The year was 1939. His sister, Josephine, was working at the store, and in need of help. She hired her brother.
“They needed someone to wash the windows, take the trash out, and unpack the stock,” he remembered. “Back in those days, there were no such things as working papers. You were old enough to work, so you got a job.”
By age 16, John had his driver’s license and was driving the truck for Hoy’s. He worked his way up from there, becoming a floor clerk when founder Bernard Hoy promoted him.
“In those days, you dressed up to work the floor,” said John. “You wore a white shirt, a suit and a tie.”
In time, John was promoted from clerk to assistant manager and finally manager. Then, he was made superintendent of stores, overseeing the Ocean City, New Jersey boardwalk store, among others, during the early 1970s.
“By the end of the 1970s, probably around 1977, we relaxed the dress code,” he acknowledged. “The Boardwalk store was a little different, though. We could be a bit more casual there.”
As a manager, John worked six days a week, including three evenings. From Black Friday through Christmas, Hoy’s increased its hours to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. He even worked some Christmas Eve’s until midnight.
“We had half-price sales after 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve,” he remembered.
As John grew his career with Hoy’s, he set the example for his family. All seven of his children worked there in one capacity or another through their teen years. “It’s always been a family atmosphere,” John noted. “It’s a store for families run by a family.”
John personally worked with each generation of the Hoy’s owners: founder Bernard Joseph Hoy and his brother William R. Hoy, Bernard J. Hoy, Jr. and David Hoy. Though well past retirement age, at age 84, John remains a buyer with the company, a position he has held since the 1970s.
“It’s a wonderful feeling at the end of the season to see that you made some good buying decisions,” he said. “That gives me great pleasure to see the merchandise fly off the shelves.”
John “Jack” Garniewski, Jr.
One of John’s seven children to work at Hoy’s, John “Jack” Garniewski, Jr. literally grew up in the store.
“When my father was managing stores in the 1960s,” he said, “I would go in with him on Saturdays. I was 10 or 11, and I helped with the animals. Hoy’s had a miniature zoo. I would clean out the fish tanks and bird cages. Or I would help out in other ways, writing prices on stickers, for example.”
Jack didn’t join the staff until many years later, after graduation from Villanova. “The job at Hoy’s started as a summer job. I was planning to go to school for my master’s, and the summer job just continued past the season. It was a good way to earn extra income.”
He started managing the Ocean City Boardwalk store in 1975. He also helped to open the one on 34th Street. “I went down to the New Jersey Unemployment Office to hire my management team,” he remembered. “They were terrific—very respectful and dressed appropriately. They showed up on time and worked hard. The teenagers, too, who staffed the place, were quite enthusiastic and disciplined. They really helped put that store together from the ground up. When we arrived, there wasn’t even any drywall. We had to install the counters, set up the merchandise, and everything.”
In 1976, Jack transferred to the store in Hockessin, Delaware. “The stores were very different,” he acknowledged. “What we did in sales in half a day in Ocean City took us a week in Hockessin. But Bill Hoy, one of the owners, lived close to Hockessin and he would pop in to visit us.”
Jack has many fond memories of his time at Hoy’s but one in particular stands out. “I will always remember a certain Christmas Eve,” he said. “We were open late that night, and an immigrant family came into the store. They looked at the display tree that we had set up and asked, ‘how much?’ We showed them the price on the box. But no, they didn’t want a boxed tree. They wanted to buy the store display. So, we sold it to them, as is. That was their Christmas tree!”
While Jack no longer lives near a Hoy’s, he makes it a point to visit whenever he’s back in town. “It’s always a bit of nostalgia for me,” he said. “I like to walk through the store and see how it’s changed.”
Sarah Harmon
Sarah Harmon first joined Hoy’s 5&10 in Bridgeton in 1964. She was 20-years-old, newly married, with a lot of time on her hands.
“They opened up a store near where I lived, so I applied there,” she remembered. “I started in the hardware department. They paid $1 an hour.”
Like her male counterparts, Sarah had to dress for the position. For women, that meant dresses and skirts, pantyhose and heels. “It wasn’t easy climbing on ladders but that was the dress code back then. It wasn’t until pantsuits came out in the 1970s that we could wear any kind of pants.”
Sarah left employment at Hoy’s for about four years, but returned to become a store manager in Bridgeton. When that store closed in 1983, she transferred to Stone Harbor. Then she worked in Mays Landing, and finally landed in Ocean City, where she remains today.
“I get here about 7 a.m.,” she said. “We open at 8 a.m. and in the summer, it’s virtually nonstop until I leave. On rainy days, you can’t even walk down the aisles. It’s constantly busy.”
These days, Sarah’s paycheck goes to buying baby clothing for her granddaughter. And she has no plans to retire anytime soon. She loves the store, the work and the fact that her former employees—her “kids”—come back to visit and send her cards.
“It’s more like a family here than it is a job,” she said. “You’re not a number; you’re a person and everyone takes a real interest in you. It’s just warm and welcoming. I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.”
Tom and Marge Thornton
Tom Thornton was a city fireman in New Castle, Del., looking for a little extra income when he started at Hoy’s. Little did he know that the job would evolve into a career spanning four decades.
“Hoy’s was using a lot of firemen for the warehouse,” he remembered, “because there were different shifts so that it worked well. They were good workers and readily available.”
After two years working in the warehouse, Tom was offered the position as full-time manager.
“I was given a great deal of freedom,” he said. “I didn’t have to justify how I went about the job. I could come in on a Saturday or a Sunday, for example. It was also a seasonal business so we had some leeway in the off-season. As long as the job got done, the Hoys were satisfied.”
At the warehouse, Tom and his team received trailers full of merchandise. They cut cases and sorted them by store, pricing the outside of the cartons.
“You’d see representatives from distributors, maybe once a year, when they brought in their trucks,” he said. “But after so many years, you’d get to know them.”
Tom met his future wife, Marge, in 1973 when they both put in some time at the Hoy’s Credit Union. At the time, she was working at the Hoy’s Hallmark Party Shop in Kirkwood Plaza in Delaware. When they both got transferred to the shore, it seemed a natural reason to get together. They married in 1975.
Marge managed the Avalon, N.J. store while Tom worked in the south Jersey warehouse. “Marge is more of a people person,” noted Tom. “She enjoyed meeting the customers. But we both liked the teamwork and camaraderie that we found at Hoy’s.”
It was such a close knit family environment that Tom “stood up” as best man for David and Jane Hoy’s wedding.
“A lot of companies say they have a family atmosphere,” he noted. “At Hoy’s, we weren’t just saying it. We really were a family.”
Marge retired from Hoy’s in 2001, and worked part-time helping her husband in the warehouse. Tom was there until 2008.
“I hated to retire,” he said, “because I really enjoyed my time at Hoy’s. It’s just that the job was so physical. I couldn’t go on forever.”
“It was never boring,” Tom added. “Every day was different. David was always searching for new lines, new items to bring into the store, and it was exciting to see some of the best-sellers. Every year, there seemed to be a new item that was really hot.”
Another thing that Hoy’s did well was to mentor its employees, according to Tom. “There were quite a few employees who would go on to building their own businesses from the experience that got at Hoy’s. They taught us a lot, and encouraged personal growth.”
A Salute to All Hoy’s Employees
“Our employees are the ones that keep Hoy’s going,” said David Hoy. “We appreciate all that they do. They are the reason that we’ve been here 75 years.”
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- 2 stores, Stone Harbor and Avalon, N.J.
If you were a Hoy’s employee, and would like to comment on the 75th anniversary, or share a memory, find us on Facebook, search for Hoy’s 5 & 10 Company Page.
Take Part in the Celebration
Hoy’s is offering special pricing this season in honor of the 75th Anniversary. Look for merchandise marked down to just 5 or 10 cents! Stop by the cashier to sign a giant anniversary card and be part of the fun.
