By Leslie Church
There’s a special spring in the step of Janelle Jenss Montazzoli.
It might be the fact that she walks in a pair of navy blue spectator pumps that were named after her. Montazzoli still wears her last pair of Janelle Shoes, the brand sold at her grandfather’s legendary Jenss Department Store.
But there are other reasons that the sprightly 81-year-old can’t sit still. She fills her days with volunteer work throughout the area — Niagara County Hospice, the SPCA, and Neighborhood Housing Services are just a few. And today she’ll be honored at the Main Street Business and Professional Association’s annual awards dinner for her spirited support of the area.
Montazzoli will receive the George Kurtzman award, given to those who show enthusiasm for Niagara Falls and Main Street in the style of the award’s namesake. Kurtzman was a longtime manager of the long-closed Jenss store at the north end of Main and a close friend of the Jenss family.
“He was Main Street,” Montazzoli said. “Like me, he was born and raised in Niagara Falls. He knew everybody and always had a wonderful greeting for everybody ... That’s probably one of my fondest memories is George Kurtzman.”
While her grandfather, Frank Jenss, may have been known as the “Godfather of Main Street” — after opening the department store in 1903 he went on to become councilman and mayor of the city in the ’30s — Montazzoli has also carved out a name for herself in the area.
She was actively involved in the business of the store, from the cosmetics counter (her favorite) to the hiring and firing of employees. After it closed in 1951, Montazzoli worked in the city’s Family Court for Judge William Kellick. These days, when she has a moment to spare from her volunteering efforts, she attends events like the Positively Main Street festival in June to cheer on her city.
“This award is perfect for Janelle because she is the past of Main Street and she’s still dedicated to the future of bringing it back,” said Leslie Tarczynski, events coordinator for the business association.
Montazzoli remembers the city’s past with a nostalgic, far-off look in her eye. The atmosphere at Jenss Department Store was familial.
“All of the employees were like brothers and sisters to us,” she said. “Once somebody came to work at Jenss they stayed until they retired.”
Frank Jenss would close the entire store one day every summer and take his staff of 150 to Olcott Beach for a picnic.
“The other merchants used to say to him, ‘Frank are you crazy closing the store all day, you realize how much money you missed?’ His stock answer was always, ‘A happy employee is worth all the money in the world.’”
For Montazzoli, the department store was her home.
“I was born and raised on Main Street in my grandfather’s store. I learned to walk and waddle and everything else in there,” she said.
She was there to see the businesses blossom, and also there to see them move away.
“If I may get sentimental, it’s been heartbreaking,” she said. “Heartbreaking to see how it’s just ... well it’s just fallen apart. I’m hoping, especially now with Mayor (Paul) Dyster, we will get some new tenants in some of the empty stores.”
The Business and Professional Association is working to do just that. In the past few years, a variety of new businesses have opened, and the long-time businesses on the street seem to maintain a loyal customer base. The awards ceremony today will honor others who have promoted the economy on the street, including Beeton’s Cyclery as Business of the Year for its 100 years as a storefront there.
“I’d like to see it rejuvenated and revised,” Montazzoli said of Main Street. “Little by little I feel sure that with the dedicated people in the Business and Professional Association ... it will.”
IF YOU GO
WHO: Main Street Business and Professional Association
WHAT: Annual Awards Dinner
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Crowne Plaza Ballroom, Niagara Falls
CONTACT: 285-318
