By Ed Manfredi, ISDA Victory Lodge President 

While thinking back on Hays, my old Italian-Pittsburgh neighborhood, I was suddenly reminded of the many vendors who would go door-to-door, as well as the small businesses that thrived around us.

In the 50s and 60s, many vendors would find themselves on our porch, looking to buy or sell goods.  These local hucksters and proprietors dealt in brooms, rags, junk, umbrellas, knives, pots and pans, sweepers, milk, and my favorite, Joe the “Macaroni Man.”

Joe would drive up to our house in his Cadillac.  He was dressed in a three-piece suit, topcoat, and hat.  He was the owner of an Italian grocery store in the Strip District of Pittsburgh.  Once a month, Joe would deliver an order of olive oil, pasta, cheese, salami, and pepperoni to my grandmother.  We never bought tomato sauce from him because we made our own.  Grandma would invite him to sit in the kitchen and would serve him coffee and homemade Italian cookies.  She would pay him in cash.  Sometimes I would catch a glimpse of his gun under his coat.  That’s a vision that has stayed with me.

Another vendor who stood out was the “junk man.”  He would come around weekly, shouting “Junk man!” from his truck.  I was five years old when I made my first deal with him.  I had a beat-up tricycle that my dad allowed me to sell to him.  The junk man agreed to buy it.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out two coins.  Of course, I reached for the larger coin, a nickel.  I left the dime.  My first deal and I got taken, but I still have that nickel!

Once every six weeks, my dad took me to Chick’s for my haircut.  There were two barbers, and no appointment was needed.  It was “first come-first served.”  Getting a haircut could take one to two hours.  This was done on purpose because this was where the news of Hays was discussed.  Afterward, Chick would give me a penny for the gumball machine.  The haircut?  It cost $1.00.

Being Catholic, we were not permitted to eat meat on Fridays.  Once a month, we would go to Russo’s Café, a family run business.  They had the biggest fish sandwich around.  The sandwich sold for only $.75. For $1.50, you could get the complete dinner which included fries, coleslaw, and a bottle of pop.

The memories are decades old, but it still feels like yesterday. I’m sure many of our readers can relate…

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