Our Soul Full Story
Dwight Thompson first started working at 918 Willow in 2005. He quickly advanced to manager of what was then known as Josh & Ive’s and eventually purchased the shop in 2006. In August 2011, local writer Stephen Bailey partnered with Dwight to continue growing the cafe’s message of great food, community, art, and music.
Creating an Identity
With the goal of creating an identity for the store that truly is the community’s, the first step was asking our friends and neighbors to choose our new name. Over 75 customers participated in our naming contest, with “D’s Soul Full Café” being unveiled as the winner at our Grand Re Opening Ceremony on April 24th, 2010 (The Hoboken Patch).
A special shout out to all the people who made it happen – D’s Soul Full Cafe employees, friends and customers, Nick Vivenzio (photographer), Adkins Design (logo design), Baskets of Distinction (balloons) Andrew Tavani (Hoboken Patch), Brian Pepe (The Boken Online), Diana Schwaeble (The Hudson Reporter) and last but not least – half full, llc (D’s crack business partner).
Featuring the Arts
Equally important to Dwight is the cultivation of an environment that prominently features the arts. Putting his unique spin on the sandwich shop experience, Dwight features both a local artist and musician each month. He wants his store to not only be a place for great food, but for a great experience, as well. And it’s not just the artists that benefit from the exposure—our customers do, too!
Whether you come down to D’s for a delicious meal, some great conversation, or to take in some new music and beautiful art—you’ll be in the right spot!
“I envision D’s Soul Full Café as the community hotspot for all of Hoboken. We aim to foster an environment of creative inspiration by bringing together great food and good people with local art & music. We want to be where you come to get the best start to your day, your lunchtime pick-me-up or that perfect weekend treat. Everyone’s invited to make their contribution and share in our community of positivity!”