She Sells Clifton Homes Rickey Di Maria has been a real estate agent for 22 years Story by Jordan Schwartz When Rickey Di Maria’s father, Peter, died in 1986, she was left with a decision: continue operating his pizzeria or sell the 30-year-old business. Di Maria wanted to run the restaurant, but she took her mother Enrica’s advice and sold Pete and Joe’s Pizzeria on Brook Ave. in Passaic. That was the first of many deals she’s closed during her 22-year career in real estate. From an early age, Rickey knew she wanted to run her own business. “I never wanted to really work for anyone,” said the School 11 and Christopher Columbus alum. “I’m kind of a control freak.” During high school, she sold clothes at Chez Louise on Lakeview Ave., which was owned by her best friend Tracy McCoy’s mom. After graduating in 1978, Di Maria opted not to go to college, and instead, she continued to work. One of her jobs was at Chess King, a men’s clothing retailer in Wayne, until she was promoted to a managerial position at the company’s store in the Garden State Plaza. Along the way, the Cliftonite also worked for an attorney in Fort Lee and an accountant on Broad St., but she went into real estate full-time after selling her dad’s pizzeria. Di Maria became a certified residential specialist, a senior real estate specialist, and earned her e-PRO, which is the only Internet Professional certification approved by the National Association of Realtors. The former CCMS
Rickey Di Maria (left) was good friends with Kevin Maultsby back in high school. Today, Maultsby works for the Clifton Department of Public Works.
Rickey Di Maria and her longtime boyfriend John Klukowicz. Di Maria has been running Klukowicz’s real estate agency on Colfax Ave. for years.
cheerleader now runs JK Realty on Colfax Ave., which is owned by her boyfriend, John Klukowicz. The couple have been together for 20 years now. “I’m one of those ‘Stick With It’ kind of girls,” joked Di Maria, who has been living in the same Trenton Ave. home in Lakeview for the past 48 years. During her nearly five decades in Clifton and 22 years in the real estate business, Di Maria has seen her hometown evolve. “There’s been a lot of changes,” she said. “I remember there being a lot more land around than there is now. There’s also a lot more people around now than there used to be. “I’ve been through the buyer’s market between ’87 and ’97, the seller’s market from ’97 to 2005, and now it’s back to a buyer’s market.” But through it all, Di Maria has been able to prosper. “I like dealing with people and helping them because there are a lot of difficulties,” said the Clifton girl, who the NJ Assoc. of Realtors has named a Top Producer for the past four years. “My father taught me that if you’re going to do something, learn everything you can about it.” August 2008 • Clifton Merchant
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