After roughly 34 years of feeding and fostering a warm community, The Postage Inn closed its doors for good last Wednesday.

“We reflected on our journey: the goals we set out to achieve, the wonderful people that we’ve met along the way, the things that are important to us as a family and what our future has in store for us,” the owners wrote on Facebook. “After careful consideration, our family has decided to retire from the restaurant business to begin the next chapter of our lives.”

The restaurant was founded back in August of 1988, when James Jerkowski, with his parents Ann and George, purchased the former Tillson Post Office after James graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, the restaurant website read. In addition to its dining service, the space housed an array of large banquets, holiday specials, music and entertainment. Last Tuesday and Wednesday, folks got their last taste of Postage Inn dining.

Although it's been decades since New Jersey resident Glenn Tritini was a teen bopping around the local bars of Rosendale, he will never forget the warm and welcoming Jerkowski Family. Tritini and his family used to spend the summers in Ulster County at some bungalows on Creek Locks Road. He will really miss the turkey sandwiches, with meat from a freshly roasted turkey that were smothered in gravy. The Postage Inn served as somewhat of a landmark of his early life.

“Every time I’d drive up on a Friday, I’d see the Postage Inn and know that the summer was there again for me,” Tritini said.

Rosendale resident Melissa Diesing worked as a server at the inn, between 2019 and 2020, and had nothing but compliments for the family. She loved the dedicated core of customers who were like extensions of the Jerkowski clan and loved to witness all of the family banquets that took place.

“I loved how the whole family worked together,” Diesing said. “It was nice just being a part of it all.”

The Postage Inn Facebook page was flooded with folks lamenting the restaurant's departure and wishing the family the best for the future. While no one knows what the future holds for this beloved business family, it’s safe to say they made their mark on Tillson.