A national restaurant franchise that began in Hudson County may close its original location.
Blimpie’s location near City Hall at 110 Washington Street in Hoboken, has been listed for lease by Ripco Real Estate. The 1,412 square foot first-floor space is located below housing for Stevens Institute of Technology students. The listing is new to market, and the flyer, which describes the space’s “prime retail location”, states that it will be available in 2017. Two employees of the restaurant told Jersey Digs that they were unaware of the location’s closing.
Since May 16, 1964, Blimpie’s submarine sandwiches have been made in the Mile Square City, longer than in any other place in the world. Although the 110 Washington location still proclaims itself on the banner outside to be the ‘World’s 1st Blimpie’, the business was actually founded a few blocks north near the corner of 7th Street as the ‘Blimpie Base’ by area residents and St. Peter’s Preparatory School graduates Tony Conza, Peter DeCarlo, and Angelo Baldassare. Within a few years, franchises opened across the area, in places like West New York and Manhattan. Today, Blimpie is owned by Scottsdale, Arizona-based Kahala Brands, and brands itself as ‘America’s Sub Shop’. There are several hundred locations around the country, including nearly a dozen in Hudson County.
Although there were few places in the area to buy sub sandwiches when the restaurant first opened, today’s Hoboken has no shortage of sandwich shops, with two Subway locations, a Jimmy John’s, and multiple delis across the city.
Officials with Ripco and Blimpie did not return requests for comment.
Blimpie is not the only business slated to close in Hoboken. The American Apparel location at 80 Hudson Street has also been listed for lease by Ripco. This comes after the company closed its location in Jersey City’s Newport Centre Mall earlier this year.
