Entrepreneur Asks Public To Help Him Rename Business

Dwight Thompson is, by nature, an excitable guy and right now he's bubbling over with enthusiasm.

The 32-year-old Hobokenite owns Josh & Ive's, a sandwich shop on Willow Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets. Next month he's re-launching the business and turning to the Hoboken populace for help with selecting a new name. Hoboken residents, here are your choices:

D's Comfort Café.

D's Funky Café.

D's Soul Full Café.

Voting on the new name began yesterday and ends on March 29. Residents can vote by stopping by the shop and registering a vote in-person, or by sending an e-mail with one of the above names and contact info to name918willow@hotmail.com.

Then, Thompson plans to unveil the winning name and several other upgrades to the shop with a re-launch event on Saturday, April 24. And here's what's in it for you: Everyone who votes for the winning name wins a free bagel.

Thompson has owned Josh & Ive's, a fixture in the neighborhood which used to operate under the name Bagel Smashery, for the last four years. Prior to buying the sandwich shop, he managed it for a year and when the previous owner hinted that he was looking to sell it, Thompson felt equipped to take over the reins all by himself. He made the purchase and said that having managed the shop day-to-day is "what gave me the balls to do it!"

"I'm trying to let people know I'm not just sandwiches and bagels," said Thompson when explaining why he's re-launching and re-naming Josh and Ive's. He said he's hoping people notice him for things like his breakfast menu, which includes a build-your-own breakfast burrito, and the array of coffees and teas he carries.

Thompson, a musician who moved with his pop/rock band to Hoboken from Toronto seven years ago, said he's already implemented some changes, including having business hours that are artist- and musician-friendly.

"I serve an all-day breakfast, which is better for artists," he said.

When chatting with Thompson and delving into his background, finding something he hasn't done is no easy task. He said he's worked as an actor, managed several delis and restaurants, was a professional freestyle break-dancer for nine years, has worked as a sound engineer, worked for his dad's construction company in Canada, and played keyboards and bass in his now-defunct band, among other things.

Oh, and he even designs his own T-shirts, each one of which features a different phrase that's pithy and meant to inspire. T-shirts are available for purchase at the store, too. While being interviewed by Patch, he wore one of his own designs, a red T-shirt emblazoned with the message, "Imagination Leads Your Destiny."

And imagination seems to be a river that runs deep in Thompson. In addition to re-launching his business, he is also preparing to launch a community-based nonprofit called Dancing For Change. "For me," Thompson said, "dancing is very liberating."

Thompson said the nonprofit will be funded through his shop's profits and focus on helping inner city youth make the right decisions. He said he hopes that by introducing kids to dancing and nurturing the art of dance in them, the children will be open to receiving a positive message.

Before that happens, though, his attention is primarily focused on the re-launch of his shop, which he hopes will result in it being seen as a café when all is said and done.

In addition to the extended hours, he plans to add an ATM, have some cosmetic improvements made, make some more culinary additions and changes to the menu. He's also planning to feature some local musicians playing acoustic music in his space from time-to-time.

Thompson appears to be zealously devoted to creativity and is trying to figure out the logistics for regularly featuring the work of a local artist in the shop. His vision is to dedicate some wall space to a painting or photograph done by a given artist for, say, two weeks or a month as a way of getting the artist some exposure he might otherwise not get.

Admittedly, Thompson has a lot on his plate right now and for the foreseeable future."It's very exciting and a little overwhelming," he said.

Something about Thompson, though, promises he won't run out of energy or ideas and may just bust out an old break-dancing move or two if a polite customer makes such a request.