The Bergino Baseball Clubhouse has been an oasis of culture on a sweat-filled landscape.
Nestled in the heart of New York’s Ironbound District, this small shop has been the site for many wonderful baseball author programs, hosted by proprietor Jay Goldberg. I can’t recall when I first visited the store for a story for the NJ Jewish News, but it was well before I even considered writing a book of my own.
I have had the pleasure of being a guest there twice, the first time for 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die
Jay used these events as the basis for his podcasts so here’s the first from the 501 appearance, and here’s the second, regarding Greenberg.
Alas, the realities of the business world eventually settled in. Slow foot traffic made the enterprise unprofitable as did the production of the book events. Jay recently sent out the following:
The Bergino Baseball Clubhouse opened in 2010. We are closing in on nine years in the landmark Cast Iron Building, Greenwich Village NYC.
Nine years. Or, in baseball lingo, nine innings.
Perhaps this will come as a surprise. Perhaps not. We are nearing the bottom of the ninth. The time has come to start winding down the Clubhouse.
For now, some thoughts…
Sale Away
Since we first opened, we have never had a sale. Starting today, that changes. Our first, our last. Nearly everything in the Clubhouse is now specially priced, including many one-of-a-kind items. Going, going …
Events
Perchance what the Clubhouse has best become known for: Intimate, intelligent events featuring premier authors, Pulitzer Prize-winners, team owners, scouts, Hall of Famers, and the most interesting folks in baseball. As you may have noticed, we have not had any events this year. Going forward, we plan on resuming our Event Series in 2019. We are in the preliminary stages of discussing potential venues/collaborations/sponsors that make sense for all. Should you have any appropriate leads or thoughts in this area, please feel free to reach out to me.
Remember Your First Baseball Game?
Some of you have already participated. Wherever you may be across the globe, I hope you, too, will participate. You will be hearing much more about this multimedia project in upcoming newsletters. Stay tuned.
For now, simply, thanks. More to come.
I always wondered how Jay picked “Bergino” as the name of his establishment. He explained in an e-mail:
it’s a made up word. In 2001, I was sitting in a cafe with my original business partner, Tony Palladino, and he exclaimed, “I’ve got it… Bergino!” He took our last names and made up a word… Goldberg and Palladino became “Bergino.” A close runner-up for the name was “Goldberg’s Balls.” For better or worse, we went with “Bergino.”
Tony passed away four years ago. He was a legend and elected to the Art Directors Hall of Fame. I miss him very much, but “Bergino” lives on forever.
He also elaborated on why he decided to close up shop: “The number one reason … is that I lost my passion for brick-and-mortar retail. After nine years of NYC retail, enough. Dayenu” (“enough”, as my people say).
So to Jay I say, gei gezunt, my friend — go in good health, as my people also say — and thanks for all you’ve done for the literary baseball community.
is available on Amazon.com,
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