LUNCH IS SERVED
M. Bennett Olde Village Market is open for breakfast, too
ringing back that quaint little restaurant that was on the corner of Richmond Road and Court Place, right in the heart of Historic Richmond Town, was the desire of many. The building itself served many purposes in its 170 years of existence: a residence, a bakery, local store, an ice cream parlor, and a community gathering place. The Women’s Auxiliary of the Staten Island Historical Society took on this special project. They renovated, redecorated, and reopened the cafe, located in the basement of the historic
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The cafe has been lovingly decorated by volunteers.
Bennett House. More than 50 women, all volunteers, cook and serve the meals and fully staff the cafe. The atmosphere is simple, friendly and homey. The menu includes sandwiches, homemade soup, salads and baked goods — all served with a smile. M. Bennett Olde Village Market is open five days a week. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Reservations are not required. Parking is available right next to the Bennett House, on Court Place off of Richmond Road.
A CHAT WITH HANS H. WIESNER
Registered landscape architect
Established in 1928, Wiesner Brothers Nursery in Westerleigh is firmly planted in Staten Island history.
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Wiesner Bros. Nursery Inc. is celebrating its 80th anniversary. What’s your secret? My brother, Ralph, and I are very thankful for the sacrifices and hard work that our grandfather and father made and we’re very thankful to God because with his providence we’ve been here for years. Hard work and keeping a family together in a family business is a unique dynamic. We’re dealing with living things. There are a lot of things that we don’t have control over. There were a lot of German sayings we were brought up on. One my grandmother always said was, “Man plans but God grants.” As we raise our children into the hard work of the family business — and hopefully they’ll come into the family business. That’s a perspective they need to understand. I’ve got four sons. My brother’s got two and a daughter. They seem to show an interest in the
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business. They’d be fourth generation. Time will tell. Why did your grandfather come to this country? My grandfather grew up in Germany ... Prussia. After being in the military in World War I he went to forestry school. He always dreamed of coming to America because he heard about the forests out west. Ironically he stayed in the east. He landed on Ellis Island. He had a sister who lived on Staten Island. He worked from Brooklyn for a few years doing landscape and property management in Connecticut. He decided to buy a piece of
property here in 1928. Then his brother came over and joined the business. A year later the property was worth about half of what he paid for it because of the stock market crash. That’s why we’re quick to recognize the sacrifices of those who went before us. They always said it takes a lifetime to build a business. We reaped the benefits of their sacrifice. What’s the biggest challenge for your business? As an agrarian lifestyle became a thing of the past, Staten Island’s green industry has diminished. There used to be wholesale greenhouses, many more garden centers. It’s hard to recruit skilled workers with The Wiesner a background in horticulturfarmhouse, al. Another thing is the high circa 1865cost of running a horticul1870, is on tural business in a city setthe nursery ting. As the property grounds. becomes more valuable you have to support having 8 acres in New York City.
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