Holsten's Tribute to Gandolfini Grows as Fans Reflect on His 'Legacy'

Holsten’s co-owner Chris Carley said he feels he’s been around the world twice. Since Wednesday night, he’s had calls from England, the Netherlands, Spain and Australia requesting comment on the death of James Gandolfini.

Camera crews continued to flow in and out of the Bloomfield ice cream parlor throughout Thursday along with fans of "The Sopranos."

In a tribute to the Sopranos star,  Holsten’s reserved the booth where the last scene of the HBO series was shot.

The booth, where the Soprano family shared onion rings and listened to Journey, had a small sign reading "reserved." Carley had planned to let it go unoccupied for the next couple of days in Gandolfini’s honor. By Thursday afternoon, the booth had grown into a mini-memorial with flowers and mementos of the late television and film star.

Carley said several fans came into the restaurant wearing "Sopranos" T-shirts, wanting to get a look at the booth. Carley, who was also wearing a "Sopranos" shirt, said throughout the day, people came to the restaurant, seeking closure on Gandolfini’s death.

“What they’re searching for, I don’t know,” Carley said. He believes people are mourning Gandolfini’s fictional persona as much as they are mourning the man. “People are paying their respects to Tony.”

Bloomfield resident Geralyn Inneo said while she was an ardent fan of the Sopranos, she hadn’t considered the connection to Gandolfini when she chose to have lunch at Holsten’s.

Dawn D’Amico, her lunchmate, said she was shocked and upset when she heard about Gandolfini’s death.

“He left behind a legacy, though,” Inneo said, noting that his body of work extended to films such as the Quentin Tarantino-penned thriller "True Romance."

Ann Marie Kochanowsky, who had traveled from Plainview, Conn., to visit her granddaughter in Glen Ridge, said she loved "The Sopranos" and thought the booth was a great tribute to Gandolfini. She said she understood why people in the state were taking the death of a TV icon so hard.

“It’s sad,” she said. “New Jersey people tend to be close people.”