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Retired teacher serves coffee and a smile

If commuters board NJ Transit trains at Little Silver's rail station with a bit of a smile on their faces in the morning, it could be due to the work of Mary Ann Ferrara.

Ferrara, a retired school teacher from Sea Bright who commuted by train daily to Hoboken, feels their pain. For the past three years, she's served up coffee, a friendly remark, trivia questions, seasonal decorations and sometimes a little therapy at Java Junction, the coffee stand she runs inside the station.

Her patrons aren't passing customers — she calls them her "commuter family" and "commuter friends." If riders here are a family, Ferrara might be their den mother.

Commuters said Ferrara's shop puts some levity in their day.

"She's a little more than cheerful, she's a very upbeat person," said commuter Rey Montalvo of the Oakhurst section of Ocean Township. "It makes the day nice."

After three years, Ferrara said, she knows her customers by name and, like a trusted bartender, by the kind of coffee or tea they drink.

"You need to be pleasant, have good coffee and you have to be quick," said Ferrara, who opened her shop after successfully bidding for the concession from the borough.

No one has ever missed a train on account of her, said Ferrara, who's even managed to get a cup to a conductor or two.

Among her favorite things is planning activities to break up the daily routine for riders.

"We have a lot of fun. We celebrate the holidays. On Mardi Gras, I gave out beads. For St. Patrick's Day, we had Irish soda bread," she said. "We have an egg hunt on Easter, and we play the dreidel game on Hanukkah. There isn't a holiday we're not willing to celebrate."

She even honored one rider's a request to observe St. David's Day, in honor of the patron saint of Wales on March 1. Music and movie trivia is another activity she holds and a CD is usually playing.

"The summer solstice, the winter solstice, anything to make a commuter's day easier," Ferrara said. "People at 5 a.m. need a little levity. We serve coffee and context."

Adelaide Sousa of Newark is a reverse commuter, who arrives in Little Silver for work as most residents are traveling northbound on the train. Ferrara asks her if she's doing the cooking for Thanksgiving as she serves her coffee.

Sousa said the station has improved since Ferrara opened her shop.

"The atmosphere brightens the day; it's a nice place," Sousa said.

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