Micalizzi's history
Micalizzi’s has been a household name
in the city of Bridgeport for over fifty years.
Beginning somewhere in the 1940’s or early 50’s, original owner Sal Micalizzi opened his first shop in Success Park. His distinctive, gourmet Italian Ice and Ice Cream grabbed the attention of many locals who became loyal customers. After a decade or so of success, he moved his store to Madison Ave sometime in the early to mid 60's. More and more flavors as well as customers built the business to a household name.
In the early 1970's, he moved to the Black Rock section of Bridgeport. Once again, he grabbed the attention of new and repeat customers. Finally, Mr. Micalizzi opened (which would be his last) location on East Main Street. This would be in the mid-seventies to early eighties.
Sometime in 1976 or 77', a young ambitious hard working man by the name of Andy Piccirillo was overwhelmed by the unique taste and original concept of Sal's gourmet products. They actually met and did some business in the late 60's when Andy and his brother Robert owned Pic's Parlor. Andy would bring his wife Lucille and two children Jason and Bridget almost every weekend to enjoy Sal's refreshing treats. Instantly, Sal took a liking to Andy's genuine character and humble personality. Andy, a very aggressive and versatile entrepreneur, asked a lot of questions and became very interested in Sal's business. He had a dream that he would one day transform the porch of his home (located on Madison Avenue) into a shop that would sell the Micalizzi Italian Ice and Ice cream products. Well, after a few years of talking and listening, Andy made his dream become a reality. After working for the city of Bridgeport every day between 4:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., he would open his new shop to the public at noon and would stay open until the customers stopped coming.
In the early 1980's, Sal decided it was time to pack it in and retire. Well, he also made another important decision. He was going to let Andy take over his entire business! This would mean not only ''retailing'' to the public, but also ''wholesaling'' to other businesses. Well, after many discussions, meetings, and learning all of Sal's recipes, it became official; Andy Piccirillo became the new owner of Micalizzi's (this was in early 1983). Everything was going great; business had started climbing to a new level until about a year later when tragedy struck. Andy was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away November 2nd, 1984 at the age of 38.
Andy's wife Lucille, a very strong willed woman was now left with an unthinkable task to accomplish. Most people could not fathom the position she would fulfill. Within a years time, she became sole proprietor and operator of Micalizzi's, along with being a full time mother of two children. Through Lucille's dedication and daily commitment, the business began to grow to another dimension. The seasonal retail along with the wholesale began to multiply year after year. The menu began to expand with more and more flavors of both Italian Ice and Ice Cream.
Jay Piccirillo, Lucille and Andy’s son, had been working and helping his family since age 7. During his high school years, he became retail manager and during college received two degrees; one in Criminology and the other in Psychology. It was during this time that he began getting involved with the wholesale end of the business. Their daughter Bridget was also involved part-time with the retail side of the business. Years later with the creation of social media, Jay branded the business, expanded and branched out his footprint into multiple businesses. He has created many new flavors and increased their wholesale and retail markets. He also added on additional features such as trucks, carts, and kiosks, which are now available for charity events, festivals, corporate outings, school functions and parties. The Piccirillo family and Micalizzi’s has donated to hundreds of charities and organizations and is a large integral part of the Bridgeport community.
Micalizzi’s has become a landmark business in Bridgeport and now as the Piccirillo family celebrates 40, years they will continue to carry on Andy’s legacy to serve the community and deliver the sensational flavors that have caught the hearts and taste buds of thousands each and every summer!
