News

Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe to close

by Julie Walker
Monday May 12, 2014

by George Aaron Cuddy

Since 1927, Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe has been a fixture on Columbus Avenue in the South End.

Redolent of Boston's gritty past with yellowing photographs on its walls from decades ago, the restaurant named an "American Classic" by the James Beard Foundation in 2005 will be closing its doors after 87 years at the end of June.

For many years, those doors remained unlocked: Charlie's used to be open 24/7 well into the volatile 1960's. When the time came to change the schedule, a locksmith had to be called because no one could find the proper key.

People from all corners of the globe flocked to the diner for turkey hash and griddle cakes, many spurned on by its exposure in television shows like Spenser for Hire and the movie Ted, but it was the daily appearances of locals that out-shined even the visits of Vice President Gore or President Obama.

Clay Debrew. Steve Garfinkle, Julie Miller, Fred Lowell. Merrill Diamond. Lyn Ackerly. Chip Huhta, Amy Kelman. So many names through the ages, all friends, all known by both the peculiarities of their personalities and their orders. All welcomed with love.

The story of Charlie's is an enduring tapestry of a neighborhood's evolution. It served African-Americans when no one else in the area would--the Pullman Porters had their local branch housed in the apartment one story above--and was a welcome respite for cops and criminals alike during the crime-pocked sixties and seventies.

In the eighties and early nineties, the savagery of HIV/AIDS took its toll on the South End. Despite a pervading societal paranoia, Charlie's never turned away a soul. Only jerks have been shown to the door.

Above all else stands the toil and commitment of an immigrant family that rolled up its collective sleeves to create enhanced opportunities for its children. One son is retired from Microsoft, one works for Google, one is a professor at Northeastern, another is a filmmaker. They have the sacrifices of their parents to thank.

When you visit Charlie's in these next six weeks, make it a point to salute Arthur Manjourides, Chris Manjourides, Marie Fuller, and Fontaine Anzalone. Their father, Christi Manjourides, started working for Charlie Poulos in 1927 and became a partner in 1946.

The contract between the two is framed and hangs on the wall among the memories of nearly nine decades.

There is no way to fully measure the effects this restaurant has had on me and so many others. In fact, it's not a restaurant at all.

It's my home.

Charlie's made my life in Boston. Strangers became family and dreams I never thought could come true became realities.

The bittersweet knowledge that future memories will not be created there has caused an enormous void in my soul, one that will only be filled by continuing the dear friendships with a family that accepted me and all of my countless faults without anything but unconditional love.

Thank you for the best years of my life.