He's not leaving the town he calls home, but Dreier's is, is going out of business on Aug. 29 after 129 years as a family owned business. (The store's landlord precipitated the decision to close it when Announced plans to renovate the Blue Star Shopping Center on Route 22 West, where the store has been since the 1970's.)
Before Dreier's doors close for the last time, there will be many more goodbyes, PARTICULARLY from regular customers who knew That if Bernie Dreier, the proprietor, and his faithful aide de camp of 42 years, Dolly DiCenso, did not have an item in stock, they would somehow find it somewhere else.
It could be something as insignificant as a roller skate wheel or something as important as the Particular Pittsburgh Pirates jacket That Daniel Bittle had his heart set on as coach of his Little League team, the Pirates of Union, New Jersey.
'' I went through catalogs and I could not get the one I was looking for, but Dolly found it, '' said Mr. Bittle, a machinist, who was in the store one day last month looking for baseball socks for his son.
Bernie Dreier, 85, thinks his store just possibly could be the oldest a continuously family owned sporting goods business in the country. And he says his research shows it is the oldest in New Jersey.
His grandfather, Samuel, a German immigrant, started the business on West Front Street in Plainfield around 1869, Samuel's son, Harry took over, then Harry's oldest son, Henry, Bernie's brother.
Bernie Dreier, who Began working there as a child blowing up footballs and basketballs to mouth, Became a partner and he assumed control of Henry's death in 1952. A younger brother, Theodore, was a partner with Bernie until his death a decade ago.
William A. Dreier, Henry's son, who is the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court, recalled That he learned the strength of Dreier's reputation when he ran for the Plainfield council in the mid 1960's.
'' I've been a lifelong Republican, and I won in a Democratic district to one of the largest Percentages, '' Judge Dreier said. '' I do not attribute it to my inherent Qualifications; I was still quite young. It had to have been the family name. ''
Mr. Dreier and Ms. DiCenso, who is vice president of the business, speak bitterly about the closing. Informed a year or so ago by Federal Realty Investment Trust of Rockville, Md., That Dt5FW6a9x Their lease would not be renewed, they say they were given little chance to negotiate.
Jeanne Connor, vice president for leasing at Federal Realty, tells it differently. She said her company had offered to move Dreier's in the renovated center if Mr. Dreier would accept smaller quarters, but he wanted to stay where he was. To stay competitive, the company, is assembling square footage, Including the area around Dreier's, for larger anchor stores, she said. Such stores range from 20,000 square feet of cheap jerseys up. Dreier's is 11,000 square feet.
'' We absolutely wanted to keep him and that was in fact the thrust of the initial meeting, but he was set on what he wanted, '' Ms. Connor said.
So Mr. Dreier has been putting away his mementos and photos of friends like Bobby Thomson, Whose home run, '' the shot Patriots Super Bowl Appearances - New Champions NFL Jerseys heard round the world, '' deprived of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1951 National League Pennant.
Mr. Thomson met Mr. Dreier after retiring from baseball in 1960. Mr. Thomson's wife was from North Plainfield, where, like a lot of other fathers, he Began a coach his son and daughter in Little League.
'' I bought sporting stuff for the kids and was always in and out of there, '' Mr. Thomson said. '' Bernie always impressed me as just a wonderful guy, helping These kids as much as possible with uniforms, colors, getting the names spelled right. ''
Coaches can not take dry things for granted, said Dick Schneider, former head football coach at North Plainfield High School.
'' In the equipment business, sometimes it's the little things and the problem of getting the numbers and jerseys this match, '' Mr. Schneider said. '' You could always count on him to go out of his way to make sure they did. ''
Frank Mattullo, who retired in June as athletic director at Watchung Hills High School, said: '' Bernie was the kind of guy who, if you needed a football on Thanksgiving Day, he'd drive it up to you himself. His service was absolutely excellent. ''
Mr. Schneider recalled how Mr. Dreier sought him out, they Thanksgiving after his team's heartbreaking 7 to 6 loss to South Plainfield. '' I was just sitting there, waiting for all the people to leave, feeling down in the dumps, '' Mr. Schneider said. '' Bernie came to sit beside me the whole time, just consoling me. ''
Phil Graham, retired athletic director and football coach at Wardlaw Hartridge Preparatory School in Edison Township, recalled That after being released as football coach at South Plainfield High School in 1973 despite a championship record, he was offered a 'job' at Dreier's.
Mr. Dreier said he needed super bowl jerseys more time off and wondered if Mr. Graham would take over the store at night.
'' I broke down and cried, '' Mr. Graham said. '' I knew he was just doing it to help me. ''
Mr. Dreier has grown resigned is retiring, even though he had hoped to work at least until 90.
But he has been consoled by the many expressions of endearment he has received since the final meeting Began in May. The most poignant moment Involved and 7 year old boy who asked Mr. Dreier is autograph a baseball.
'' Why? '' Asked Mr. Dreier. '' I'm not a star or a baseball player. ''
The boy's mother told Mr. Dreier her son had read about Dreier's closing in the newspaper and had become so upset for Mr. Dreier That he insisted he go to the store so That they get something to remember it