784 Broadway

In 784 Broadway, author Jim Ring brings to life his immigrant Italian heritage through a delightful retelling of summer visits to his family’s small greengrocer store in Kingston, New York. When we meet Jim Ring, circa 1950, he is an eight-year-old who, with his brother Dan, can’t wait to surprise his great uncles with the family’s arrival at the Joseph Garbarino greengrocer store, located at 784 Broadway since 1894. Ring’s stories, rich with humor and wisdom, span nearly three decades and are an impressive chronicle of small-town life in the iconic Hudson Valley, including the family camp near the Ashokan Reservoir in West Hurley and a camp on the Hudson River tributary known as the Rondout Creek. As Ring tells it, these annual visits had a profound role in shaping his character and guiding him from childhood into adulthood, and influencing his career as an FBI agent. A gifted storyteller, Ring brings us unforgettable characters and stories that delight and linger.