Beloved Brooklyn pork store G. Esposito & Sons closes its doors after 100 years

A beloved Italian butcher in Brooklyn went out of business after 100 years as rising rent costs drove them out.

G. Esposito & Sons Jersey Pork Store, located at 357 Court Street, quietly closed its doors on April 10 after a century of serving local residents since 1922. The shop - which was connected to a four-story townhome - sold for $3.3 million.

Frank Esposito's great-grandfather opened the shop when he immigrated to New York City from Italy and quickly grew his base of loyal customers.

Over time, the Esposito family witnessed the changing real estate prices and eventually came to the realization that the store would eventually close rather than continue to be passed on to future generations.

Several customers stopped by the store on its last day open to say goodbye to the Esposito family and shed a tear when they were offered free food.

G. Esposito & Sons Jersey Pork Store in Jersey closed down after a century on April 10 

The owners called it quits after rising rent prices chased them out of business. The prices were too high to pass on the business. Pictured: a pig statue that stood outside the shop 

Devastated customers realized the shop was closing last month when they walked by the front window to see a sign.

Leading up to the closure, some people stopped by to offer the Esposito family gifts for their service.

In exchange, co-owner John Esposito and his sons Frank and George wanted to give their loyal customers a warm goodbye and provided free food on their last day.

'I think they’re shocked at how many people have come by and expressed their gratitude and given them gifts and cried,' Frank Esposito told the New York Post.

A 95-year-old customer named Rita recalled shopping at the store since she was younger. She was one of the faithful customers saying goodbye to the beloved store along with others who bought trays of sausage and eggplant parmesan.

The shop famously sourced its meats from North and South Carolina but was known to once get it imported from New Jersey.

Goodbyes were hard for some customers who initially bought real estate in the neighborhood because they fell in love with Esposito's.

'I got letters from people who bought brownstones in this neighborhood just because of us,' George Esposito said.

'People said, "You know, I wasn’t sure if I was gonna make an investment in the area, I shopped at your store once, then said I have to buy in this neighborhood, cause Esposito’s is here."'

Devastated customers realized the shop was closing last month when they walked by the front window to see a sign

The shop opened in 1922 when the original owner immigrated from Naples, Italy

Leaving behind the famous shop was a difficult choice for the family as the rising rent in the area was too much for Frank and George - both in their 60s' - to even consider passing on the family business.

Despite shutting down, the family's legacy might be sticking around for some time. Several authors have approached George seeking to publish his family's famous recipes, according to the news source.

One of the most requested recipes is for his rice balls.

Meanwhile, the family gets to enjoy their weekends with family once again and await for what the future holds.