In 1928, Mike Rossi opened a candy store on the first floor of the family’s Chambersburg home at the corner of Morris Avenue and Franklin Street that had something for everyone. For the children, there were plenty of sweets. For more mature customers, there were penny cigarettes and a speakeasy hidden behind the back wall—in the Rossis’ living room—that served outlawed beverages during Prohibition, the national ban on alcohol that was lifted in 1933. (The door in the picture above leads to that private chamber.)
“It was not so unusual to have places in town that served alcohol,” says Rossi’s grandson Mike, who has been running the place since 1981. “It wasn’t like you saw on TV in Chicago with all the shoot-’em-ups.”
The secret business also had a delivery-service component.
The elder Rossi made late-night runs out to towns like Seaside Heights to deliver booze to thirsty customers by the beach. When Prohibition died though, Rossi’s Bar and Grill was born, and he was finally able to legally operate a tavern.
The business was passed on to Mike’s son, Al Rossi, in the mid-1970s.
Through the years, Rossi’s most famous regular was Joe DiMaggio, who was fond of the Italian family-run business and Al’s ties to the Washington Senators baseball club. DiMaggio and the Rossi men had many adventures together, both on and off the golf course. Stop in, and Mike will tell you about some of them