Faiella, Michael


Object Type
Oral history
Object ID
15307
Date
July 31 1987
creator
Brooklyn Historical Society
Description
Michael Faiella (1928- ) grew up in Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn on Sands Street. His father opened Reliable Naval Tailoring Company in 1927 at 191 Sands Street. The shop moved several times, but always remained close to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In his interview, Faiella describes how Reliable Naval Tailoring changed over its 60 years tenure. The store sold uniforms to sailors, not the workers at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Faiella also describes the important relationship between the Navy Yard and the Brooklyn community, and how much the neighborhood deteriorated after the Navy Yard was decommissioned. As the bars, restaurants and other uniform stores closed around Faiella, they were able to maintain business by diversifying their products and clientele. Faiella was also interviewed in 2007.
Related Collection
Brooklyn Navy Yard Oral History Project
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