When Jordy’s Men’s Store in Codman Square shut down operations about a month ago, the move marked the end of a family legacy that stretched back over several generations of a Jewish-American family led by the late Morris Silverstein.
Morris’s great-grandson, Jay Wolf, the most recent family proprietor of the apparel retailer, told The Reporter that the decision was “bittersweet. We’re not sad. It’s a new chapter in life for everybody involved, including for the building. I plan to go in or go by and patronize whatever ends up going in there.”
Jordy’s was the go-to shopping destination for generations of people from Dorchester, Mattapan, and other Boston neighborhoods, where they could find shoes, sneakers, athletic wear, and school uniforms. Jay Wolf had managed the store since around 1990 when his father, Leonard Wolf, retired.
“My dad really was Jordy’s – let’s face it,” says Wolf. “I pale in comparison to how great he was at that. We had people coming and looking for him all the time, who shopped there all their lives…and he hadn’t worked there for years. He was so recognized in Codman Square. Jordy’s is him, not so much me.”
Jordy’s was just one outpost of a network of shops that stemmed from a department store that Jay’s great-grandfather, Morris Silverstein, opened in the heart of Boston’s Jewish community. Silverstein’s Department Store, once located on the corner of Woodrow and Blue Hill avenues, was a big draw for decades until it closed in the mid-1970s.
“That was the spot,” Jay said. “Everyone from the pre-1960s shopped there if they were from there. Most didn’t have cars so those around would walk there.”
Silverstein had five children, and he set them all up in business. His son Jack opened Jack’s Men’s Store on Northampton Street in the South End, a location that was popular in the ‘70s and ‘80s. That store moved to Chelsea in later years and was successful until Ron Silverstein — Jay’s cousin— closed it in 2020.
A daughter was set up in Mattapan Square with Alson’s Men’s Store, last run by the late Stuart Rosenberg. Harold Silverstein inherited the flagship Silverstein’s on Blue Hill Avenue, but the family closed it after he was hit by a car in front of the store. Another son, Phillip, opened a clothing store in Randolph.
And finally, another Morris daughter, Goldie Hirshfield, was the operator at Jordy’s, named after her uncle, Jordan. Her husband George closed his butcher shop on Blue Hill Avenue and joined the family business in Codman Square. But he was short lived for the venture, dying of a heart attack in the store about a year later. Their daughter’s husband, Leonard Wolf, took over the reins and was the face of the store over most of its life in the square.
Jay Wolf, who now spends most of his time running George’s Apparel in New Hampshire. said that Jordy’s was operated for a few years by another person who couldn’t make a go of it. When the store closed, he sold the building to an LLC controlled by the Stamatos brothers of Jamaica Plain.
Wolf described himself as “the last man standing” in the family empire. Jordy’s remained relevant during a time when big brands weren’t so enthusiastic about independent stores. The trick, he said, was knowing their customers and going after unique and limited-edition items. He said they did very well selling Clark’s Shoes at the store.
“I always felt like competing with the big box store down the block was probably a mistake,” he said. “How do you compete with a bully? We were a specialty store…Clark’s would do limited edition runs, like 5,000 pairs for the whole US, and I would beg them and was lucky to get 12, but they would tear people’s eyes out.”
He said they also attended trade shows and while they would buy Levi’s there, they would also look for unique, smaller brands that weren’t as sought after.
“We found small places, but they would have the right look; it looked like it was right,” he noted.
Last month, the eye-catching ‘Jordy’s’ pin-striped storefront sign – which was introduced in 1960 – came down from its location on the corner of Washington Street and Talbot Avenue. One businessman’s dream that became a family empire in reality had ended, but a new chapter lay ahead.
“I do a lot of biking and bike into downtown Boston and always go through Codman Square,” said Wolf. “I’ve been by a few times. It’s bittersweet. I’m going to miss it.”
