Just a few years ago, they were considered antiques--out-of-date designs collecting dust in someone's attic. Today, we wear wide-leg jeans, drag Formica tables into our kitchen and raid garage sales for the sake of retro. From knock-off 1950s cars to platform shoes and music revivals, our old vi

Bruce Reed's total immersion into his first family business was about as subtle as plunging an arm into a deep fat fryer. "I took over Jerry's 32 years ago at 17," said Mr. Reed, noting the business baptism by fire came after he was kicked out of high school in the 11th grade for wha

Travelers up and down the East Coast will soon be seeing shiny new Jerry's Curb Service restaurants springing up if company President David Guido has his way. The Bridgewater-based carhop restaurant, famed for its burgers and hand-cut fries and fabled to have been the birthplace of the steak

Even with a menu that boasts 140 flavors, you won't find the founder of Bruster's Real Ice Cream indulging in the sweet treat his business sells in 210 shops up and down the East Coast. "I'm a meat-and-potatoes person," says Bruce Reed, 50, who launched Bruster's in 1

Bruce Reed’s career has a certain circularity to it. Thirty-two years ago, he took over his family’s carhop restaurant near Pittsburgh after being expelled from the eleventh grade. “I got kicked out for being the class clown,” he explains. “I never went back. I never had muc