Pop Klee's Soda Box -- FIND AN OLD POP KLEE FRIENDFROM CANARSIE

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Date Posted: 12:13:12 01/05/02 Sat
Author: Karol (Klee) Olson
Author Host/IP: spider-mtc-tc013.proxy.aol.com / 64.12.105.153
Subject: Pop Klee's Soda Box

My grandfather was "Pop" Klee. He was never much on renovation, at least from my point of view. He was the "Pop Klee" of the 1920,30,40 and 50's. He died in 1958. In order to keep the soda an Yoo Hoos cold (and they were all in glass bottles then, with those metal bottle caps) you had to dunk your hand and arm deep into a container filled with cold water that was kept cold with a block of ice delivered with tongs by the ice man. You had to dunk your arm in many times to find the one bottle you wanted. Many times I wanted to give up, but the reward of that Yoo Hoo or cream soda somewhere in that cold water was too tempting for me to call it quits. So I perservered. The Pop Klee of the 60s,70s,80s, and 90's was Bill Klee, his son. My father Edward was his brother. So Uncle Bill, became "Pop Klee" because he never changed the sign that his father had on the window. "Pop Klee " #2 kept the store running along with the fishing tackle until the day he died in August, 1995. He continued to plant the roses in the back of the store, just as his father had done. The original "Pop" lived upstairs, above the store, but "Pop" #2 lived several blocks away. "Pop" #2 loved Canarsie and loved to talk about it. He got great enjoyment out of the young men who frequented the pool room and I think it was his way of providing a safe place for the teenaged guys and older guys to go. He always knew what was going on everywhere in Canarsie because he had the best informants around. The guys told him almost everything. And even when it looked as if he were reading his ever present newspaper or magazine, he was listening. He was a smart guy. Canarsie was his home for his whole life. His grandparents, my great grandparents lived in Canarsie too!

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Replies:

[> Re: Pop Klee's Soda Box -- richard sabatino, 05:22:20 01/21/02 Mon (a82.goes.com/63.76.36.82)

>My grandfather was "Pop" Klee. He was never much on
>renovation, at least from my point of view. He was
>the "Pop Klee" of the 1920,30,40 and 50's. He died in
>1958. In order to keep the soda an Yoo Hoos cold (and
>they were all in glass bottles then, with those metal
>bottle caps) you had to dunk your hand and arm deep
>into a container filled with cold water that was kept
>cold with a block of ice delivered with tongs by the
>ice man. You had to dunk your arm in many times to
>find the one bottle you wanted. Many times I wanted
>to give up, but the reward of that Yoo Hoo or cream
>soda somewhere in that cold water was too tempting for
>me to call it quits. So I perservered. The Pop
>Klee of the 60s,70s,80s, and 90's was Bill Klee, his
>son. My father Edward was his brother. So Uncle
>Bill, became "Pop Klee" because he never changed the
>sign that his father had on the window. "Pop Klee "
>#2 kept the store running along with the fishing
>tackle until the day he died in August, 1995. He
>continued to plant the roses in the back of the store,
>just as his father had done. The original "Pop" lived
>upstairs, above the store, but "Pop" #2 lived several
>blocks away. "Pop" #2 loved Canarsie and loved to
>talk about it. He got great enjoyment out of the
>young men who frequented the pool room and I think it
>was his way of providing a safe place for the teenaged
>guys and older guys to go. He always knew what was
>going on everywhere in Canarsie because he had the
>best informants around. The guys told him almost
>everything. And even when it looked as if he were
>reading his ever present newspaper or magazine, he was
>listening. He was a smart guy. Canarsie was his home
>for his whole life. His grandparents, my great
>grandparents lived in Canarsie too!
hey me and my father used to get tackle from pop every week on friday i loved those stick pretsels they were always fresh.

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Re: Pop Klee's Soda Box -- Ellen, 21:51:12 03/15/02 Fri (24-164-130-152.si.rr.com/24.164.130.152)

Being female, I used to attempted to get in that place on many occasions. Women weren't "welcome" at the time. Some times I was allowed, other times not, purely because I had boobs. I love it. The only reason I wanted to even show up there was because Danny Schuler and Richie Schuler live two doors down and I had hoped they would see me in there and think I was "cool". Ahhh... young lust. I was thrown out everytime. The boob thing, I guess. So funny. Couldn't get away with that now. This all took place in 86 or 87.

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Re: Pop Klee's Soda Box -- Mike (Feathermaker) Esposito, 17:17:50 06/02/02 Sun (as5300-10.216-194-23-221.nyc.ny.metconnect.net/216.194.23.221)

Pop Klee #2 was Gay, just like Pop Klee #1. It is a little known fact that Pop Klee #2 was a founding father of the Gay Liberation Movement. Pop Klee & I used to hang out at Fish Park in the Bayview projects during the early to mid 60's and we would have wild sex adventures there (i always loved older men). Sometimes Pop Klee and i would go down by the Canarsie Pier at night when it was pitch dark and have sex right by the edge of the pier and when we were finished, we would take a long walk to Armondo's Pizza on Rockaway Pkway near the train station and grab a slice or 2. Some nights Pop Klee and i would take a long stroll kissing and holding hands all the way to Farrell's Hamburgers on Flatlands ave and we would have 2 cheeseburgers with onions and some fried onion rings and a shake, and then we would make love in the swamplands with the rats, running by our feet in back of the Seaview Lanes bowling alley (now pathmark shopping center). Oh how i long for those good ole' Gay days. Yes sir, Pop Klee #2 was really Gay just like Pop Klee #1. Pops......I sure miss you.

PS:Pop Klee #2 sure knew how to arouse me with those old Coke bottles if you know what i mean

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[> Re: Pop Klee's Soda Box -- Fred Piazza, 16:42:32 03/05/05 Sat (ool-44c17fe8.dyn.optonline.net/68.193.127.232)

Mrs. Olsen, Please contact me.
>

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[> Re: Pop Klee's Soda Box -- Joe Schuler, 03:33:46 10/01/06 Sun (ool-43564b23.dyn.optonline.net/67.86.75.35)

>My grandfather was "Pop" Klee. He was never much on
>renovation, at least from my point of view. He was
>the "Pop Klee" of the 1920,30,40 and 50's. He died in
>1958. In order to keep the soda an Yoo Hoos cold (and
>they were all in glass bottles then, with those metal
>bottle caps) you had to dunk your hand and arm deep
>into a container filled with cold water that was kept
>cold with a block of ice delivered with tongs by the
>ice man. You had to dunk your arm in many times to
>find the one bottle you wanted. Many times I wanted
>to give up, but the reward of that Yoo Hoo or cream
>soda somewhere in that cold water was too tempting for
>me to call it quits. So I perservered. The Pop
>Klee of the 60s,70s,80s, and 90's was Bill Klee, his
>son. My father Edward was his brother. So Uncle
>Bill, became "Pop Klee" because he never changed the
>sign that his father had on the window. "Pop Klee "
>#2 kept the store running along with the fishing
>tackle until the day he died in August, 1995. He
>continued to plant the roses in the back of the store,
>just as his father had done. The original "Pop" lived
>upstairs, above the store, but "Pop" #2 lived several
>blocks away. "Pop" #2 loved Canarsie and loved to
>talk about it. He got great enjoyment out of the
>young men who frequented the pool room and I think it
>was his way of providing a safe place for the teenaged
>guys and older guys to go. He always knew what was
>going on everywhere in Canarsie because he had the
>best informants around. The guys told him almost
>everything. And even when it looked as if he were
>reading his ever present newspaper or magazine, he was
>listening. He was a smart guy. Canarsie was his home
>for his whole life. His grandparents, my great
>grandparents lived in Canarsie too!

Pop Klee's was the center of activity on E 94 between L&M.
I remember my father sending me down the block with 50 cents to buy him a pack of Camels at Pop Klee's. His fridge had Nedick's orange soda and Coke, and you could pop the top off with the wall-mounted Coke opener. If I was well-behaved, my father brought me there for a Hershey bar. When my father died, Pop showed up at the wake. When Pop died 15 years later, my whole block died with him.

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[> Re: Pop Klee's Soda Box -- Joe, 19:21:07 07/13/09 Mon (pool-173-56-27-18.nycmny.fios.verizon.net/173.56.27.18)

Karol Bill was one of a kind. He was a great guy. I bought my first fishing rod there. I used to shoot pool there in the mid sixtes. I remember he used to charge 60 cents and hour to play. Bill was amazing he remember evybodys name and nickname. Karol one thing you left out was that there where spitoons there. Also every table had that Klees curve. I think about the old days and Klees pool room was a steping stone when you grew up in Canarsie. Had many a good laught there. When Bill passed I was in shock, he was a legend. Legends are not suppose to die. Bill will live in the memories of everybody he came in contact with. God bless him

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[> Re: Pop Klee's Soda Box --

barkstar, 11:01:46 11/25/20 Wed (c-73-55-171-201.hsd1.tx.comcast.net/73.55.171.201)

>My first memory of Pop Klee's goes back to when I was about 12, back in 1968. I had gone to Pop's to see about some fishing gear, with a buddy I fished with at Canarsie Pier. You may recall that the fishing gear was in the front of the store, pool tables in the back. Pop would acknowledge you when you walked in, then return to reading his folded newspaper (Canarsie Courier?), standing with one foot up. On this particular occasion the very moment we walked through the door one guy in the pool room struck another across the face with a cue stick. He knocked out his front teeth. I recall the guy saying, "Now ya know, Barry, ya don't mouth off at my girl". Classic Canarsie, right?!
At that age it was something that left (obviously) a lifelong impression.
I returned to Klee's several times, mostly to ogle the quality fishing gear. In particular I had my eye on a golden "Luxor" brand surf spinning reel, from France. It was $55.00, a fortune back then. Still, I continued to lust after it.
Today I own several of those reels. Whenever I take one out into the surf my mind immediately goes to Pop Klee's, Barry, and his new teeth.

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