The 76-year age gap didn’t matter. Nor did the fact that they had both chess and checker pieces on the table.

“I don’t even know him,” said Dick Carr, 79, of the 3-year-old who sat across the table from him at Brownsville Marine and Deli Jan. 21. “He just came in so we’re going to play checkers.”

That’s the type of atmosphere owners of Brownsville Marine and Deli hoped to create — one where customers mingle with one another and with the business owners and staff. Cheryl Estep and Kim Hoyt reached their sixth year anniversary Jan. 4. The duo is the fourth ownership the deli has had since it first opened in August of 1981. Before that, the place was a boat repair garage. In a down economy where many businesses struggle, the two women attest their deli’s success to the community.

“It’s the friendly atmosphere,” said Estep, 50. “It’s a complete ‘Cheers’ or ‘Mayberry’ place.”

Referencing the television sitcoms, their Brownsville deli can be where everybody knows your name. Carr and his wife, Lois, own a boat in the the Port of Brownsville Marina and frequently pop into the deli for a cup of coffee. By the time she gets a chance to sit down and drink her coffee at home, it’s cold, so going to the deli has turned into a routine for Lois Carr to get her caffeine fix.

“I’m impressed with the girls,” Lois Carr, 66, said of the owners. “They work overtime entertaining us.”

Though customers like Lois Carr said Estep and Hoyt work hard to keep the deli running, the owners said if it weren’t for their customers helping them out, they wouldn’t be operating the business.

“They make our job easy,” Estep said. “If it wasn’t for our customers, who are our friends, we wouldn’t be doing this.”

Without being asked to, the regulars will jump behind the counter and ring customers up if the deli gets really busy, said Hoyt, 45. Other times they have had customers take the trash out for them or watch the deli as they stepped out to use the restroom — all on their own initiatives.

Not only do customers lend a helping hand every now and then, they have contributed to giving the deli its personality. The bar tables were made from wood of a nearby tree, built by a customer. Other unique touches include a crafted small boat with “Brownsville” painted on its side and a wooden “suggestion box” that is actually a paper shredder, all contributions by customers.

Although the paper shredder suggestion box is a practical joke of a customer, Estep said they do take customer feedback seriously. Wednesday evenings they whip up a homestyle dinner, which in the past has included meatloaf and pasta carbonara. The idea to have Wednesday dinner started when Estep cooked spaghetti and meatballs at the deli to bring home to her family. It was in their first year of business and the two women worked every single day throughout that year. A few customers asked Estep if they could pay for any extra spaghetti and the dinner concept evolved from there.

Carr and Estep have worked hard to keep the deli as a place where people will want to come back to. Their menu includes homemade soups and sandwiches, and they also sell kegs of beer and fishing supplies. When they took over the shop, it could seat 12 indoor and eight outdoors. Now they have room to seat 24 inside and 24 outside. They hope to expand the deli, which they will need to plan with the Port of Brownsville.

The Port of Brownsville Marina has 320 permanent moorage spaces, which are all occupied, said Port Manager Jerry Rowland Jan. 21. There are also 40 to 60 guest moorage spaces that can accommodate any type of vessel, he added.

“We are maintaining quite nicely,” Rowland said, adding that the port hasn’t had to make any recent cutbacks.

Daniel Bural, 26, of Brownsville said he and his son, Isaac, the 3-year-old playing checkers with Dick Carr, return for the music, the food and the people.

“It’s kind of like a community center,” he said.