Holsten's -- Still A Hot Spot With Soprano's Fans

When Chris Carley, co-owner of Holsten's Brookdale Confectionary, heard that The Soprano's creator, writer, and director David Chase was looking at his quaint Broad
Street eatery for the final episode of the wildly popular HBO series, he was thrilled.

He said it only took one look by scouts from the show to decide that the parlor, which is celebrating its 70th year in business, was the site they wanted fictitious mob boss Tony Soprano to gulp down his last meal.

Months after choosing Holsten's for the show's swan-song, the well-known parlor would earn itself a permanent place in American pop culture history.

"I was always a big fan of the show," said Carley of the series, which aired for six
seasons between 1999 and 2007. "As iconic as the show was, to have it end here was
great!"

Although that was more than three years ago, Carley and his co-owner Ron Stark
don't have to wistfully look to the past to relive their ride down memory lane and into television history.

As a stop on a route traveled by On Location Tours, Soprano's fans can catch a bus in New York City and moments later relive that last scene in "the booth" with people from all over the world every Friday and Saturday — minus Tony, Carmela, A.J., Meadow, and that shifty looking guy camped out at the counter, of course.

"They already had a Soprano's tour, but they had to re-route it and stop it here. They actually contacted us and we sat down and set up the times," Carley recalled.

Now, over three years later it's essentially something by which you can set your watch. Moments before the tour bus arrives — the booth dons a reserved sign and then faster than you can say "Fuggetaboutit" a line of tourists fill the center aisle.

Journey mega hit "Don't Stop Believing" wafts through the parlor speaker system —
just as it did before the screen went black on the gangland drama. Fans of the show take pictures at the booth, in the booth, and with friends around the booth — in a scene that's actually surreal.

"Normally there is anywhere from 30 to 52 people here, depending on the day. It peaks and valleys," Carley remarked.

You would think such a scene could get old over time, but for Carley and crew it's
always a pleasant surprise.

He said the first couple of months after the show ended business "went through the roof," and people literally piled into the eatery. T-shirts bearing the name of the luncheon were a hot item and were shipped to every corner of the globe for unexpected profit, but he thought interest would wane.

Nonetheless, every Friday afternoon at about 12:30 p.m. and Saturday around 4:30 p.m., the clock gets turned back to the scene that defined a special time in New Jersey history.

"I get a lot people who make us a stop — they come in and want to know where the
booth is. I'm a big fan, so I never get tired of it," said Carley, noting that requests for
parlor t-shirts come from as far away as Las Vegas and Germany. "It's (the Soprano's experience) something that was one of the most exciting parts of my life."