Postcards from Little Italy

Located in the middle of Grand Street, just one store down from Ferrara’s Pastry Shop, E. Rossi & Company, opened in 1910.  It is one of the last remaining authentic stores in Little Italy.

“Initially,” says Ernie Rossi, grandson of the owner, “we sold newspapers and magazines.  Then we began publishing translation books, enabling native Neapolitans to translate their dialect into standard Italian and into also English.  E. Rossi & Company even provided services to help people write postcards to home.  This then led to the publishing and selling of sheet music, mainly of Neapolitan songs.” Word got around; the store soon became a global center for publishing Neapolitan music. They received compositions, in the style of the Canzone Napoletana tradition, from South America, The United States and Europe.

“I often say that you could trace the footsteps of the Neapolitan song tradition in the store’s archives,” adds Ernie.

Many who walk by the store do not know its history.  Looking at the store from the outside, it’s easy to see why.

The store window is stacked with religious statues, images of saints, and parking signs.  One warns: “You Taka My Space, I Breaka You Face.”  Inside the store are more statues and signs, piles of kitchen supplies, Neapolitan espresso makers, molds for cannoli shells, pasta cutters, T-shirts, and other memorabilia.  Despite the apparent chaos, Ernie can find anything at a moment’s notice.

“What are your early memories of the store, Ernie?” I ask.

“Well, I was born and raised in the shop,” Ernie says.  “I would come in to dust the items on the shelves, the saints, the Italian horns, kitchen appliances, earning a dollar a week. After a while, I asked my uncle to give me a raise to one dollar and twenty-five cents.”

“Did he give it to you?”

“Eventually, yes.”  He laughs.

“Do you remember how the publishing business started?” I ask.

“One of the first songs that my grandfather published was A cartulina e’ Napule (Postcard from Naples).”  It was sung by Gilda Mignonette, but written in New York City by Pasquale Buongiovanni and Guiseppe De Luca in 1927.  The song is about a young Neapolitan, now living in America, who receives a postcard from his mother.

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“The words are in Neapolitan dialect, not standard Italian.  The lyrics were very meaningful to the newly arrived immigrants in this country, reminding them of their native country and the family they abandoned.  The song was even successful in Naples, too.”

“My father told me that he carried Gilda Mignonette’s bags into the theater to sing,” says Ernie. “One time she was roughed up by the Mafia when they tried to shake her down for payments on the success of A cartulina e’ Napule.”

“He told me that, even after being roughed up, when she got on stage, she made a hand gesture at the Mafia goons who were now in the audience.”

“Another song that my grandfather published was Comm’e Bello a Stagione.”  It was written by Rodolfo Falvo and Gigi Pisano in 1924.

“Then, in the nineteen sixties, Connie Francis did an album of Italian songs.  Among those songs was Comm’e Bello a Stagione, which became a big hit,” Ernie adds.

The interesting thing, Ernie tells me, is that many of the Neapolitan songs then became American hits, when translated into English.  Songs like O Solo Mio became It’s Now or Never, a big hit song for Elvis.  I Have But One Heart, originally O Marenariello, was recorded in 1947 by Vic Damone and became a big hit.  It was even recorded by Sinatra.

“The songs have beautiful melodies.  That’s why they were picked up by American producers,” says Ernie.  “The songs have you laughing or crying. Sometimes both.”

“My father told me that he was about to publish a song that Caruso was going to perform, but then Caruso suddenly died.  Sadly, my father did not remember the name of the composition. Maybe when I go through the many cases of music, I’ll find that song.”

“That would be a great discovery,” I say.

“I have a few rooms in storage where I’ve kept the sheet music.  I wish that I were able to read and write music and had more time. I would love to go through the archive, one by one. It’s going to take time and money. Between the high storage rent, and the pandemic, we have no revenue coming in.  We were already finding it difficult to keep the business going before the pandemic, but the last few months have made it even harder to pay the bills. We’re now reaching out to the public.  I even have a Gofundme page.”

“I promised my dad I would keep his own father’s name alive, by keeping the store open.”

“I am hoping that PBS does a special on the history of the store.  Maybe they’ll turn the store into a museum someday.”

Ernie dreams that someone famous will record one of his original songs and turn it into a hit. Ernie and I often play in the store together, sometimes accompanying each other or performing solo. We often regale the customers – many of whom are from all over the world.  He often plays his favorite — Fa L’Amore Con Te (Making Love With You) — which he wrote for his wife, Margaret.  Years ago, Ernie and I play for Rosetta Papiro and her daughter, visiting from England, who stumble upon the store on their New York City trip.  Rosetta is now a dear Facebook friend; we stay in touch.

“Maybe someone famous will turn one of my songs into a hit and I could stay open for a few more years,” he says. “Any entertainer that comes in, I play the song for them.”  This has included Dion and John Sebastian. He’s even performed the song for director Francis Ford Coppola.

“Did you ever play the song for Jimmy Roselli?” I ask, knowing that Roselli, a contemporary of Sinatra, frequented the store and even sold his own albums there.

“He used to come in for one thing,” Ernie says, chuckling “to buy big, heavy frying pans to make his steaks and veal cutlets.”

E.Rossi & Sons

193 Grand St, New York, NY 10013

T: 212- 226-9254 | email:[email protected] | social:@erossiconyc

Website: https://erossico.com/

1. Rossi & Company Documentary: http://www.folkstreams.net/film-detail.php?id=174

Gofundme link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/quotthe-oldest-italian-american-store-1910

Mike Fiorito’s book, Call Me Guido, was published in 2019 by Ovunque Siamo Press.  He is a regular contributor to The Red Hook Star-Revue.

Mike Fiorito: www.callmeguido.com