Here Is Hoping That Marietta Dry Goods Store On Court Street Re-Opens Soon

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Marietta at 392 Court Street a while back

I walked past Marietta's at 392 Court Street a few times in the past week and was surprised to find the gate closed when the store should have been open. Just a few days ago, a notice was taped to its front gate announcing that the closing was "due to illness" and that the old-school Carroll Gardens clothing store would re-open soon.
Let us hope, because Carroll Gardens without Marietta's, well, it just wouldn't be the same.   It is a true neighborhood gem and a time capsule of Carroll Gardens' past
The clothing store has been in operation at this location since the 1940s. It was originally opened by Marietta Chirico, a gutsy Italian immigrant who saved up her money and bought the Court Street building, so that she could open her dry goods store on the ground floor.  Later, her two sons stepped in to help run the business.
To this day, brothers Joe (93) and Matty (85) Chirico still busy themselves behind the counter of their store. The merchandize consists of undergarments, house coats in a variety of small flowered prints, flannel pajamas, sweatshirts and pants, all at impossibly low prices.  Though there doesn't seem to be any visible order in the store, Joe and Matty know exactly in which brown cardboard box to look to find what their customers are looking for.
Besides white cotton underwear, Joe and Matty serve up their infectious laughs and hilarious banter.  These two are real characters and one can only imagine what Mother Marietta was like.

Back in the 1990s,  when my kids attended PS 58, I purchased my children's assembly clothes at Marietta: Red tie and white shirt with blue pants or skirt.
Back then, assembly on the first Thursday of every month and all the kids had to dress the same.  Does anyone remember those days?
Marietta was the only place in the neighborhood that stocked the red ties.

I sincerely hope that Joe and Matty will soon re-open their store.  And if it does, I hope that everyone will go in to buy something, even if it is just a pair if white socks.  Because this is one mom-an-pop store we shouldn't lose here in Carroll Gardens.

Matty and Joe Chirico

image above courtesy of Carroll Gardens Patch

Here is a beautiful video of the Chirico brothers in their store. It was filmed by Abbey Adkinson.