Schmelzer, Inc.

Today I took the opportunity to do a bit of family historical research. You see, even though I grew up in Maryland, my grandparents met in Brooklyn, NY. My grandfather was a 1st generation German American whose parents had a candy store in Downtown Brooklyn. My grandmother was an Irish Immigrant - if I remember correctly I think her mother worked in a beauty parlor in Downtown Brooklyn. My grandparents met as young people, fell in love at first sight, and the rest as they say is history.

When my Mom died a few years ago I found copies of my grandparents love letters. I remembered that at least one of the letters was written by my grandfather on the letterhead for his parents' store - presumably when he was bored at work and distractedly thinking about his soon to be wife. Since I'm just a hop, skip & a jump from Brooklyn ... or more accurately two train rides away ... I thought it would be neat to take a trip out and see what's there. I asked my sister to look for the address on her copies of the letters. She sent me an e-mail yesterday with the address for "Schmelzer Inc. Confectionary & Luncheonette" on the corner of Flatbush & Livingston in Brooklyn.

This afternoon I took a train ride out to see what's there now. I discovered a very ugly office building.

Still, it's pretty cool to have walked the same sidewalks they would have walked.