Anniversary Presence: Gleeson’s Liquors Celebrates Its 10th Year with Food Drive for Needy Families

Jane Gleeson, Megan Peifer and Tom Gleeson out front of Gleeson’s Liquors.

This was no ordinary anniversary.

Gleeson’s Liquors in Ocean View turned 10 on June 10, but the party will probably come later. Some additional – and poignant – factors made this observation unique.

Gleeson’s is doing more than serving customers at 565 Sea Isle Blvd. It has been observing New Jersey COVID-19 restrictions and orchestrating a community food drive well into a second month.

The efforts have raised more than $2,000 along with donated groceries that are delivered weekly to Belleplain VFW Post 6257, which gives them to needy families in Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic counties.

The drive will extend “as long as it needs to be done,” owner Tom Gleeson says.

The unusual times give Tom a chance to savor both the liquor store and a long journey with Mary Jane, his wife of 45 years. She directs the food-drive efforts and has been both a longtime Sea Isle City-based restaurant owner and real-estate professional.

Daughter Megan joins the family business as the liquor store general manager.

Gleeson’s is an interesting chapter in the mix. While both Tom and Mary Jane have serviced high-end clientele – through his Sea Isle City-based Gleeson’s Contractors and her former Mazzella’s restaurant – the liquor store involves customers from all income levels.

“The best part about being in this business 10 years is knowing that we have great customers and we have met a lot of nice people,” Tom says. “They are happy people. They are going on vacation or coming down to visit their beach house.

“A lot of people come down from the city, where it is hot and sweaty. We are the first stop just before their house, their campsite, etc. They are in an upbeat mood. We hear so many compliments. We feel like this is a family.”

The liquor store rewards an important vision. Gleeson, a Philadelphia native who spent summers here and became a Sea Isle City resident in 1972, had founded Gleeson Contractors in 1976. He still owns it.

During the Great Recession of 2008, Gleeson saw shifting economic tides. The collapsed real-estate market did not bode well for many sectors, including the contracting business.

But he saw opportunity when a local liquor license became available. Gleeson held two major intangibles by owning ground in Ocean View and the company that could build on it. Without either asset, a combination most likely worth at least six figures, the liquor-store venture would not have happened. With both of them, it could prosper.

The clincher: location, location, location.

“This was a no-brainer,” he says. “The spot was across from the Super Wawa, a gateway right into Sea Isle. And right across from us is one of the largest campground areas on the East Coast. There are about 60,000 people in these campgrounds.”

That’s a built-in customer base. Gleeson’s has 300-400 craft beers, 2,000 varieties of domestic and imported wines, gift baskets and a liquor list including bourbon, rye and tequila, a huge seller.

Gleeson credits retail incentive programs from sales people as another business driver. He adds that the store services about 1,500 people on a typical summer day.

Nothing is typical these days, but the establishment was at least able to stay open amid the pandemic. That inspired the food drive.

“There was just a feeling of helplessness during this period,” Mary Jane says. “Tommy and I kept feeling like we needed to do something. God blessed us because we didn’t have to close the store. After that, we wanted to do something to contribute to the community.”

The store became a collection point for donations, which are picked up every week by a representative for the VFW in Belleplain. There, they are distributed.

“We asked for high-protein canned goods, nothing perishable,” she says. “We’ve had tuna, salmon in cans, cereal and monetary donations. We started at $10 a donation and now we can accept $25 donations because people need to buy their prescriptions and you can’t get them on $10.

“What we have been told by the VFW is that this has helped so many people,” she adds. “The elderly, the veterans, young veterans. We are told there are some homeless people living in their cars with their wives and children. We are helping in a way that these poor souls will not be forgotten. I am just so proud of everybody

in our community for their thoughtfulness and consideration. People have been wonderful in donating.”

The Belleplain VFW is celebrating its own milestone this year, its 75th anniversary. Its commander, Jonathan Hinker, says: “We are incredibly grateful to Gleeson’s for all they have done to help our efforts in assisting families.

“Gleeson’s has contributed thousands of dollars and absolutely been a huge part of our program. The people are so nice. We pull up each week, they smile and say, ‘Here, we have some more for you,’ and we give that to the families.

“Our goal was to get people through a couple of days,” Hinker adds. “We are happy to say that in some cases, we have been able to give them two weeks’ worth of food at one time.”

This is the philanthropic side of Mary Jane’s involvement with the food business. As a youth, she worked at Mazzella’s Bakery and Deli, owned by her parents, Silverio and Josephine Mazzella. Later, she would own the 50th and Landis Avenue facility as a restaurateur.

It’s a source of irony. Tom and Mary Jane worked there at the same time many years ago, without ever meeting.

That came later. As did much more.