After 100 Years, Brooklyn’s G. Esposito & Sons Pork Store Is Closing

G. Esposito & Sons Jersey Pork Store, a butcher shop in Carroll Gardens, is closing after 100 years in business. A sign posted to the Court Street shop’s store states that April 10 is the last day for one of Brooklyn’s oldest butchers.

G. Esposito & Sons opened in Carroll Gardens a century ago, originally on Columbia Street, after the founder moved to New York by way of Naples, Italy in 1922. It later relocated to its current home at 357 Court Street, near President Street.

In 2010, the New York Times reported that when the pork store first opened decades back, it sourced its meat from Jersey farms, “which had the best cuts,” calling it a “meat store grandma would love.” For a long time, the sandwich shop, which hand-butchered its meats, did not even have a list of options, though that has since changed at the cash-only venture. Over the years, they supplied products to restaurants, like Buttermilk Channel, as well as home cooks.

Emma Orlow/Eater NY

Eater visited the shop and employees confirmed it was closing but did not specify the reason. Eater has reached out for more information.

“I have no idea how people can pay rent here,” John Esposito told Crain’s New York Business in 2012. Esposito, the grandson of the founder, was the third generation to run the business, alongside his brother George. “I’ve had both hips replaced, and my brother might need a new knee at some point,” John Esposito said. “I’m on my feet 12 hours a day. I’ve never had a Saturday off.”

In 2019, George Esposito told Bkylner that the business was in decline: “The future, unfortunately, is coming to an end.” He added that, “We are getting older. We’re here 100 years. Didn’t push our kids to take over the business, because the way the business is headed.”

Carroll Gardens's old-school Italian spots have taken other hits as of late. Earlier this month, longtime locals of the neighborhood mourned the loss of slice shop Sal’s, just down the street from G. Esposito & Sons.

“The secret to a business lasting nearly a hundred years is love. Love what you’re doing and put your heart and soul into it,” George Esposito said in a documentary about the shop. “That’s pretty much the secret.”