Editor’s Note: The following story is part of a series on long-running, family-owned Boardwalk businesses.)
OCEAN CITY – The summer after her husband passed away, Julia Papa and her four young daughters visited Ocean City for a family vacation.
It was 1961, and at that time the town was still a quiet summer resort. But for Julia, the thing that stood out the most was the lack of Italian bakeries.
While she was born in Boston, Julia was raised in Italy. After marrying her husband, the couple immigrated to the U.S. and soon opened a pastry shop in White Plains, N.Y.
With four daughters, all under the age of 13, Julia was determined to support her family and eager to find a store where she could introduce sweet Italian treats to the community.
In 1967, a storefront opened up at the Royalton Hotel, located at 11th Street and the Boardwalk. It was there that Julia’s, an Italian pastry shop, was opened to the public.
Julia’s founder Julia Papa, who is now 95, is pictured.
Julia, now 95 years old, recalled those earlier summers in Ocean City.
“The first year was very hard, and I only paid the rent,” she said. “Then little by little it (business) went up. I had to teach all these people about pastries, cannoli, and Italian ice. Nothing like that was on the Boardwalk at the time.”
But operating the Italian pastry shop did not come without its challenges. In that first year, Julia’s daughter, Mary McGrory, recalled handing out pamphlets and samples of her products.
Mary’s sister, Yoli Fiore, agreed.
“You eat Italian ice out of a squeeze cup, and you have to manipulate the paper cup,” she said. “Well no one got that down here, so we had to start serving it with a spoon.”
Regardless, business at Julia’s improved with time, with her “original cannoli” becoming by far her most popular treat.
In 1970, Julia gave up her pastry shop in White Plains to focus her efforts on the Boardwalk business. That same year, the Royalton was put up for sale.
Fearful of losing her livelihood, Julia invited relatives to join her in purchasing the hotel. Despite the hard work of a seasonal business, her daughters said it allowed her to spend time with her children in the off season.
At the same time. Julia scaled back her bakery by concentrating on her famous cannoli, while managing her other investments.
In 1988, Mary and her husband, George, joined Julia in running her cannoli and ice cream shop. In 2010, Julia fully retired and relinquished her secret cannoli recipe.
Papa’s daughter, Mary McGrory is pictured behind the counter of the Boardwalk store this week.
For decades, families continue to come and buy her cannolis, her daughters said, saying it’s the first stop they make when coming to Ocean City and the last stop they make to buy cannolis and bring home.
Today her stores and other investments are run by second and third generations of family members, including her grandson Robert McGrory, who operates the neighboring Pizza Boy eatery.
Julia continues to live in Ocean City during the summers. And while the COVID-19 pandemic and a bad back have prevented her from visiting the store this year, her daughters said she continues to taste her cannoli cream and make suggestions.
“To work is good for you,” Julia said. “If it weren’t for my back, I’d still be working up there full time.”
