A family that plays together stays together. A family that works together and stays together reveals even more…

Owning your own business means you’re never off the clock—but when it’s a family business, there’s no way to avoid taking your work home. While the “Cake Boss” has brought fame to one Hoboken family business, there are others just as dedicated, funny, and engaging.

The owners all speak of the hard work and long hours it takes to succeed and the satisfaction that comes when that success is shared. In the stories they share and in the love they have for one another, their work and their community, there are insights into what it truly means to be a family.

Although they haven’t made it onto your television yet, you’ll be left wondering why.

The Lueders
Helmers’ Restaurant (1036 Washington St.) was established in Hoboken in 1936 by the Helmer family. In 1949, Diedrich Lueders, the bookkeeper for the restaurant, heard the business would be up for sale. Knowing it was a going concern, he and wife Elfriede, a baker, took the chance and purchased it, and it has remained in the Lueders family ever since.

Three generations now, and they’ve all put in their time. Son Norman Lueders worked here nearly his whole life, starting as a dishwasher at the age of 16 before graduating to bartender. His wife Joan has hostessed for the past twenty years. They all agree that it’s been a lot of work. “But it’s been a lot of fun,” says Joan.

Norman agrees, “It was a lot of fun, but it was always a challenge to get good help. Staff is a challenge.” “Especially me, huh, Norman?” laughs Pat McNulty, who has been working there for 13 years. Once they get good people, though, they stay. “They die or retire,” Joan and Pat say in unison, like a truism. “It’s like family once you’ve been here a while,” explains Pat. And in the easy camaraderie, the free flow of conversation -- finishing each other’s sentences and arguing back and forth over dates and details -- they are exactly like a family.

The customers are part of that extended family, as well. “It’s so interesting to see,” says Joan. “We get couples on their first date. Later they bring in their engagement ring. And then they come back two years later with their baby. We’ve had so many of them over the years.”

Norman and Joan’s son Greg finds it especially rewarding when customers in their 80s come back and tell stories about his father behind the bar and share memories of his grandparents. “I get such a sense of connection to my family’s past.”

But in May 2007, that connection was nearly broken by a fire in the apartment above. Greg’s brother Richard, after 20 years in the business, decided it was time for a change. But like their grandparents before them, Greg and his brother Robert decided to take on the challenge of re-opening.

The restored restaurant, though more open, retains the same warm, embracing feel. The menu, a mix of traditional German favorites and American classics, includes the legendary open-faced steak sandwich that’s been on the menu since before the Lueders’ time.

You’ll want to be part of this family! For more, visit helmersrestaurant.com or call (201) 963-3333.

The Peñas
Willow Grocery & Liquors (841 Willow Ave.) is a neighborhood fixture. Whether you need a last minute light bulb, late-night pint of milk, or impromptu bottle of champagne, you’re sure to find it here. In the morning, people line up for the café con leche, and the toasted Willow Sandwiches are a local favorite. Conversations with the regular clientele flow from Spanish to English and back again. The concern and warmth are genuine in both languages.

It was another fire that brought the Peña family, originally from the Dominican Republic, to Hoboken. In 1990, a Christmas morning fire the destroyed the family deli in the Bronx. After the fire, a friend told father Juan Peña about a business opportunity in Hoboken; in October 1991, Juan purchased the store. “It was God’s work,” says Juan’s son, George. “I didn’t even know where Hoboken was then!”

“Now,” he adds, “away from my hometown, this is my hometown. It’s a place where everyone knows my name. That’s a good feeling.” But he acknowledges, “It’s a lot of responsibility because you don’t want to let anyone down.”

The store opens early and closes late, 365 days a year. From outside, it might be too easy to overlook what it takes to provide that convenience. There are the obvious sacrifices: missed school meetings, events and holidays. “One brother always has to work. New Year’s, Christmas -- it’s hard.”

George’s brother Jaime has worked here since 1991; George, since 1993. In all that time, George can remember only one occasion on which the entire family has gathered together -- to celebrate the baptism of Jaime’s daughter in 1996. “It was so weird -- everyone was thinking ‘who’s running the store?’”

Now that he has been at this for nearly twenty years, George appreciates more and more just how much his father did. “It’s all about protecting the legacy. It’s a lot of work, but I would take so much pride if one day one of my kids would take over.”

At the age of 62, his father left for a quieter life in upstate NY, but George -- always striving, never complacent -- isn’t ready for that yet. “One day, maybe my family will be proud of me. One day, maybe I’ll sit down and enjoy, but at this moment, I’m not sure.”

“We all have our lives, we all have our choices,” he points out, “but always, family comes first.”
For more information, call (201) 798-8966.

The Kilnisans
First opened in 1986, Traders of Babylon (265 First St.) may appear an odd combination, but don’t be misled. Inside this jewelry/comic book store you’ll find not only comic books and graphic novels, but an array of unique, sophisticated jewelry and custom designs.

Owner Stephen Kilnisan is a man of many talents and passions. He has a degree in gemology; self-taught in design and jewelry making, he’s been designing for the last 24 years. His influences are antiquities, ancient civilizations, world-widemuseums, and local art, all reflected in his designs. It’s not just the jewelry that’s unique.

“We’re the only comic/jewelry store, not just in Hoboken, not just in Hudson County, not just in NJ, not just in the US, but in the universe,” he says.

As he sits designing behind the counter, his mother Eva assists customers, offering strong opinions and frank advice. Stephen says it’s stressful always working together because you can fire friends but you can’t fire family. But the joy of it? “Cheap labor,” he says, “and sharing everything!”

And what it means to have a family business? “Cheap labor,” he repeats, eyes twinkling.
“Very cheap,” quips Eva. “I never get paid. I always work for love!” Physically, they are a study in contrasts – he is tall, sturdy and bearded; she, petite and dark-haired. But in their sharp, dry humor, the family resemblance is clear.

This isn’t the first family business for the Kilnisans. In fact, they’ve been in retail here for more than 50 years. The family came to Hoboken from Hungary during the 1956 revolution. In 1959, they purchased the local Dairy Queen, which they owned and operated for 26 years. That shop, a foreshadowing of things to come, had the first direct market comic book shop in the state and in the 1970s served as one of the earliest galleries in town.

Today, the work keeps him busy 24/7. “The Dairy Queen was only 14 hours a day, seven days a week. Those were easier times,” he says.

Going forward, their commitment to the art, the artists, and the jewelry will continue because, for Stephen, that mix is essential. “It keeps me sane in the insanity that surrounds me.” For more information, call (201) 659-0802 or visit wedbands.com.

The Lisas
Like so many families in Hoboken, the Lisa family’s origins lie in Monte San Giacomo, Italy. Father Pietro Lisa came to Hoboken in 1960, working here for the Maxwell House Coffee Company while his wife Caterina remained in Italy to run the family business. But by 1966, Caterina was tired of the separation, so she sold the business and moved the whole family here. They started Lisa’s Deli (901 Park Ave.) in 1971, and their tradition of service continues to this day.

Initially, son Tony worked in real estate during the day and took over in the deli at night. By 1973, the business had grown too much for his parents to handle on their own, so he and his brother Angelo stepped in. The entire family worked together night and day. Thanks to their parents, the sons learned not only the recipes for their amazing food and special mozzarella, but also, in their parents’ attitudes, ethics and sayings, a recipe for success.

For Tony, the death of his father in 1995 was a major challenge. “You lose your best friend, your consigliere, the one with the experience how to handle problems.” But at that time his mother, a four-foot-tall woman, took over “with the strength like every woman has!”

“My mother was short lady but a strong person,” he notes. “She always said, ‘I never see a problem. I see solutions. The person that sees problems is the person that doesn’t succeed.’”

His mother died in 2007, but Tony still considers it a family business. Today, he and brother Angelo are here 7 days a week. “The eyes of the owner make the horse fat,” Tony says, a saying loosely translated from the Italian. “In any business, when the owner is around, the business grows. When the owner’s not there, it’s not the same.”

“But you know, work never kills you. The aggravations and pressure – that’s what makes you sick.” But for Tony, it’s the joy and pleasure of seeing people happy and satisfied and coming back to eat that offsets that stress. “That means you’re doing something right.”

And clearly, they are. Awards have come, not just New Jersey Monthly magazine for three years running but also from the online “Talk of the Town” awards. He is surprised by all the accolades, but anyone who has tried one of his hero sandwiches won’t be. For more information, call (201) 795-3212 or visit lisasdeli.com.