For nine decades, Queens residents have relied on the Iavarone family to bring them the freshest, tastiest cuts of meat, and on Sept. 5, the Iavarones celebrated that tradition and their 90th anniversary outside of their Maspeth store.
Since Pasquale Iavarone opened the original Iavarone Bros. Pork Store in 1919 in Brooklyn — where the refurbished sign can still be found outside of The Wheelhouse in Bushwick — four generations of Iavarones have worked in the family business. In 1927, the store officially became known as Iavarone Bros.
Over the years Iavarone Bros. has expanded past its roots in Brooklyn, opening up shops in Queens and Long Island. In 1976, they brought their expertise in quality meats and food to the heart of Maspeth at 69-00 Grand Ave., and it is now the oldest standing Iavarone Bros. location.
Now there are still six Iavarone family members spread across all the store’s locations working in the family business.
“I am very proud,” Michele Iavarone, operating manager of the Maspeth store, said of her family’s business celebrating their 90th year. “Being part of the fourth generation of the family business, four generations in any business is a long time, so that in itself is an honor. I’m hoping that I continue to my family proud, my great grandfather, my grandfather and my father. It’s very nice.”
Keeping a business running for 90 years is no easy task, and Iavarone credits her family’s dedication to serving quality products and customer service as two of the main reasons why the shop has lasted nearly a century.
Even in the changing landscape of Maspeth, Iavarone sees a healthy mix of longtime customers and new faces coming into the store, she said. In order to stay competitive, the Iavarones have begun expanding their products to fit their changing customer base.
After posing for photos with a banner celebrating their 90 years, the Iavarones cut a cake which was in the shape of a pig, honoring their business’ roots as a pork store.
