Business & Tech

Cozy With History at Victoria's in Matawan

The restaurant is located in a building surrounded by history

Growing up in Matawan, Victoria Van Jura - or Victoria Morley before she was married - always wanted to own a small cafe in her local downtown area.

She dreamed of bringing her home recipes to the quaint setting of a small restaurant with a comfortable feel.

In 1999, her dream became a reality when Van Jura opened Victoria's Cozy Corner in the building at 135 Main Street that once housed Johnny's Cozy Corner.

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Van Jura did more than just preserve the friendly and homely atmosphere that worked so well for Johnny's. She also inherited a building bustling with history after years of quietly watching life unfold in downtown Matawan.

According to Al Savolaine of the Matawan Historical Society, the building dates back over 100 years. A map of Main Street from 1873 indicates a building in that exact location belonging to C. Straub.

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At that time, Savolaine said, there was a popular food store located next to it called Diggin's Grocery.

A little more than forty years later, in 1918, a picture shows a variety store called Estrelle's at 135 Main Street. Located above Estrelle's was the Law Office of Jacob Lefferts.

Lefferts was one of the developers who initiated the construction of the dam on Ravine Drive, which created the lake now known as Lake Lefferts.

That area of Main Street is also significant to the tragedy commonly referred to as the Matawan Shark Attacks, according to Savolaine who has studied the topic extensively.

Located directly next to Victoria's, when it was still Estrelle's in 1916, was Stanley Fisher's tailor shop.

Fisher was a young man in his early twenties who knew many of the local residents, and was friendly to the neighborhood children, according to Savolaine.

On a hot day in July of 1916, four Matawan boys went down to Matawan Creek for a swim. One 12-year-old boy, Lester Stillwell, swam out further than the other boys. He was attacked by a shark and pulled under the water, according to Savolaine.

The other three boys ran into town calling for help. For the most part, people did really believe them, Savolaine said. Knowing that Stillwater had epilepsy, Fisher ran to the creek worried that Stillwater had begun to seize while swimming. However, Stillwater had disappeared in the creek and a search for his body began.

During the search, Fisher located Stillwater's body. As he went to grab the boy, Savolaine said, the shark attacked Fisher and took a chunk of flesh from his upper thigh. The bite killed Fisher later that day.

Further down the creek the same day that Stillwater was attacked, more boys were swimming in the creek. The shark attacked Joseph Dunn, a 14-year-old. Lefferts, according to Savolaine, jumped in the water and saved the boy who survived after weeks in the hospital and multiple surgeries.

In the 1920s, the building that once housed Estrelle's and the Law Office of Jacob Lefferts became an ice cream parlor and eventually, it became Johnny's Cozy Corner.

When Van Jura opened Victoria's, she kept much of the same decor, including the decorative porcelain plates and old kitchen utensils that hang on the walls.

"If the soup tastes good, don't change it," Van Jura said with a smile. The only aspect of the interior design she changed were the lights and the tables.

With it's classic countertop lined with red stools, the typical diner menu has a few new twists.

"The meat loaf," Van Jura replied immediately when asked what is most popular on the menu. "I have people who come just for the meat loaf."

Van Jura may have inherited a historical building, but she has also made her own history in the building. Unlike some other businesses on Main Street in Matawan, her restaurant survived the recession. Van Jura credits that to sticking to what works and to sticking together.

"The one thing about Matawan is that we help each other," Van Jura said. If one restaurant runs out of bread or another essential item, other restaurants will help them out, she said.

"My success is based on the support of my mom, my son and my husband. It's based on them and the members of the community. I love Matawan."


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