G. Esposito & Sons Jersey Pork Store, a Carroll Gardens staple, is closing after 100 years
The beloved butcher and sandwich shop will become the latest neighborhood mainstay to close when it shuts its doors on April 10
G. Esposito & Sons Jersey Pork Store, the century-old Carroll Gardens butcher shop, is closing.
According to a sign on its door, first spotted by Eater, its last day will be April 10. “We thank you for your loyalty,” the sign reads. The shop became a neighborhood favorite for selling fresh meats, sandwiches and tons of delicious pre-made Italian food, like pillowy ravioli, rice balls and crispy chicken cutlets.
G. Esposito & Sons Pork Store opened in 1922 and has remained in the family for the entirety of its century-long run. The shop was was opened by current co-owner George Esposito’s grandfather, an immigrant from Naples, Italy. It originally only sold pork from New Jersey, hence the “Jersey Pork Store” is in its name, but in it’s modern era it’s been more of an “everything store,” per Esposito
No specific reason for its closure was given but the shop’s owners have been criticizing the Brooklyn neighborhood’s skyrocketing rent for years and noting the grueling nature of the work to keep it open — especially for its aging owners.
John Esposito, the grandson’s founder and George’s dad, told a newspaper in 2012 that he has “no idea how people can pay rent here,” adding that he’s on his “feet 12 hours a day.” George told Bklyner in 2019 that its run was “coming to an end” because he didn’t push his kids to operate the business.
In a 2005 mini-documentary about the butcher shop, George said that “secret to a business lasting 100 years is love.” He continued: “Love what you’re doing, and put your heart and soul into it.”
G. Esposito & Sons Jersey Pork Store is the second mainstay to close up shop in Carroll Gardens in recent weeks, after Sal’s Pizza Store, which closed last month following a roughly 50-year run.
‘Esposito’s Pig’ by Zach K, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
