The Cafe

     My paternal grandparents came from Polish Austria, living in various south west Pennsylvania coal mining towns.  After losing his leg in a coal mining accident, my grandfather settled his family  of seven children in New Kensington,  a town along the eastern shore of the Allegheny River about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA.  They bought a huge building along Fourth Ave. in the 1200 block.  The building was two story, plus a cellar and was very long on the property stretching from the sidewalk in front, almost to the alley.  Behind this long building was a small, all cement yard with a two story red brick house on the alley.
     There was a long  narrow enclosed walkway along the northern side of the long apartment building.  At the end of the walkway was a door to the left that led to the upstairs apartment.  Outside the back of this hallway was a cemented, covered outdoor walkway.  It was outside the back door of the downstairs apartment.  The covering was actually a narrow porch off of the large upstairs bedroom.
     The family opened a shoe store in the front of the downstairs area.  It was well known for the quality of the shoes and the service of the sales people.  At some point the shoe store was closed and the family opened a Cafe, sometimes called "A Beer Garden."
     All of the children worked at the Cafe at one time or another.  Others got jobs in their chosen field and many worked at the Alcoa Aluminum Company located along the Allegheney River.  This Cafe was an important beginning to a very imporatant part of my life!