THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 9, 1996 TAG: 9610080151
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: EARNING A LIVING IN VIRGINIA BEACH
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 85 lines
Paul Shirkey has been a successful leather smith, a builder and repairer of boats and now, finally, he's doing what he has dreamed of doing since he was 12 - selling hot dogs.
Shirkey, 55, owns PJ's Hot Dogs, a business he runs out of an enclosed trailer parked aside the Citgo gas station on Virginia Beach Boulevard near the London Bridge Shopping Center.
``I've never worked in a hot dog shop, but I've eaten thousands of them!'' Shirkey admitted.
The Harrisonburg native's affair with hot dogs began when he was 12. Shirkey and a buddy would catch a bus from their Broad Creek neighborhood, in what was then Norfolk County, and go to downtown Norfolk, see a movie and hang out at the old Bacalis hot dog shop.
It was a routine that remains fresh in his mind.
The good memories and a 50-year-old chili recipe were enough to prompt him into opening his own hot dog business.
He sold his first hot dog in July and since then has been a fixture at the busy gas station and car wash seven days a week.
For $1.30 plus tax, customers are treated to a ``PJ's Hot Dog'' that consists of 100 percent beef Hormel hot dog smothered with Spanish onions, a special mustard and homemade chili all nestled in a steamed Mary Jane bun. Ketchup and relish are also available at no extra charge. Shirkey also sells sodas and chips and has plans to begin selling coffee soon.
``There's more than taking a hot dog and throwing it on a bun,'' said Shirkey. ``Specific ingredients are used to maintain the taste and have been used for 50 years.''
Shirkey said the secret chili recipe given to him by a friend is what makes his hot dogs special.
``This is a very protected recipe,'' said Shirkey, who added that his wife, Jeanette, is the only one who shares the recipe and that's because she makes 10 pounds of it a week for the business.
Paul Shirkey built the enclosed trailer himself, buying only the . It's 5-by-8 feet and is complete with a small grill, steamer, air conditioner, radio, sink, tiled counter tops and mahogany trim.
They've almost recouped the cost of building the trailer, which was just under $5,000, they said. The Shirkeys pay a fee for parking their stand at the gas station and tow the trailer back and forth to and from work everyday.
The Shirkeys don't have any grand plans for their hot dog stand other than one day they may have his and her carts. Otherwise Paul Shirkey said he is completely comfortable selling hot dogs for a living.
Shirkey, who has built, restored and repaired many a boat, helped put the finishing touches on his last boat project in May. Now, he's concentrating on the couple's own boat which he is building himself. In fact, he carries an aged black and white newspaper clipping of a 1940s-style trawler in his pocket. He's fashioning his 42-foot craft after the boat in the picture. The couple hopes to live on the boat when it's finished in about two years.
Shirkey quit the boat-building business because he said it was ``too risky'' having to deal with people passing bad checks and the like. Twenty years ago he opened a leather craft business called Mr. Buckles and Mrs. Hide on Atlantic Avenue. He ran that business successfully for 13 years before he decided to close it because the leather fad had faded, he said, and because his store's rent was being increased. Out of the three businesses, Shirkey likes the notion of selling hot dogs the best.
``This is more secure,'' said Shirkey. ``There's not too many people who don't like hot dogs.''
Together, Paul and Jeanette Shirkey have five children and one grandchild. They met on a blind date nearly 12 years ago and have been married for eight years.
Jeanette Shirkey works two part-time jobs and works at the hot dog stand on the weekends.
``He is really living his dream,'' she said of her husband. ``I think he's going to make it work, too. He's been successful at everything he's ever done.'' MEMO: PJ's Hot Dogs is at 2432 Virginia Beach Blvd. The business is open
from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 4
p.m. Saturday and Sunday. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LORI A. DENNEY
Paul Shirkey built his mobile hot dog stand from the axle up. His
wife, Jeanette, makes 10 pounds of chili a week from their
50-year-old secret recipe. Their stand is located by the Citgo gas
station on Virginia Beach Boulevard near the London Bridge Shopping
Center. by CNB