Jewish Deaf Business
by Karen Rothschild
Sloatsburg, N.Y.
Jimmy Libman
Gimmee Jimmy's Cookies 26 South Valley Road West Ornage, NJ 07052
E-MAIL: Gjcjim@aol.com FAX:973/325-5159 TTY: 973/325-0961 VOICE: 973/325-0917 Website: www.gimmeejimmys.com
Tell me how you decided to start this business called "Gimmee Jimmy's Cookies, " a cookie factory and why you decided to go for it?
I went to college for
photography; ended up discovering that I was allergic to the chemicals. I decided to go
into optical finishing technology. I was not too happy with my job at an optical shop. I
decided to go to New York University to take up business administration. While there, my
mother asked me if I would be interested in opening a cookie shop. I said no as I was not
interested at that time. She suggested that I visit different cookie shops and to taste
their cookies. I realized that my mother's cookies tasted much better than these shops. My
neighborhood loved the cookies, and I grew up on these cookies. So, we talked about it and
came up with the name of Gimmee Jimmy"s cookies and decided to go for it.
We just celebrated the fifteenth year in business last February.
Q: What is your key accomplishment in this business?The biggest accomplishment that I have in this business is that I have ten employees, some who have been with me from the beginning. We are in wholesale distribution to supermarkets, country clubs, and products. Also, we sell them through retail outlets, mail orders, and corporate accounts.
Q: What was your most embarrassing or funniest experience in this business?The most embarrassing moment that I have encounter is the fact that I am deaf and people just talk to me and I told them that I can't hear. The understood me and then talked slowly. I can understand most, but not 100 percent. I do see that the customer are surprised that I am deaf and can understand what they want when ordering cookies at the front counter.
My future goals are to expand our customer base and possible to go into franchising of our cookies.
Q: Will your products ever be kosher like others are becoming such as Oreos, etc... Have you approached Rabbis about getting certificates? What was your experience like finding out info to get your products kosher?Nope, my products do not carry the kosher stamp, but the ingredients are kosher. I did have a Rabbi come to my business to check for possible kosher approval, but I didn't like their kosher requirements. Also, I must be closed for two weeks for Passover, but I can't do this.
Q: Did you have a bar mitzvah? No, I did not have a bar mitzvah when I was young because I lived in St. Louis. Yes, my family are Jewish.Tell me about your being Deaf, schools attended, etc.
I went to the Central Institute School for the Deaf (CID) when I was six years old and then went to Lexington School for the Deaf in New York at thirteen years old and then went on to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) when I was nineteen years old. I graduated from NTID.
Q: Tell me about your Jewish upbringing?I am sorry I do not have much to tell because there were no interpreters. I was always bored and stopped going.