We’re here to provide people in the area with quality products, quality service, and hopefully a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere to come shop. That’s always been the goal, since 1919.

Technically, I didn’t start it—my grandparents did, in 1919. They began with a little general store in the front room of a house near what’s now Chocolate World. Eventually, they moved into a brick building across the street, and in 1962 my dad built the store we’re in today.
I was lucky. I inherited a moving train. My job was and is to keep it on track. 

But the roots run deeper than just a store. I remember when I was young, watching my parents and grandparents haul bushels of grapes around town. Everyone was making their own homemade wine back then, and you didn’t just drop the grapes off—you stopped, chatted, and sampled a little bit of what they had bubbling in the basement. That memory—the connection, the sharing, the care in every stop—is really what this business was built on. It was never just about groceries. It was about community.

Taking over in 1983 was a big one. When I was younger, I thought I wanted to go into Forestry and perhaps work for the state in some capacity. But I’d been working here with my dad and uncle when they decided to take back control of the business, which had previously been run by the warehouse. We didn’t like how things were going at that point. I had the chance to step in—with my dad’s guidance—and learn how to run it the right way.

Another pivotal moment? Working as a dorm counselor in college. That job taught me more about people, responsibility, and management than most of my classes.

The fear of failure. I was given something rare—an opportunity built by my family and generations of employees. If I screw it up, that’s on me. And I’d never want to fail the people who work here, some of whom have been with us their entire careers.

COVID was rough. We stayed open every day. Supply chain issues, staffing worries, stressed customers—it was a lot. But the team showed up every single morning. They weren’t doing it for me; they did it for each other. That’s what kept us going.

Be all in or all out. If you’re not willing to take the whole thing home with you every night, don’t do it. You have to be fully committed. Also—surround yourself with good people. If I dropped tomorrow, the store would run fine. If a few of my team members did, I’d have to lock the doors.

We support a lot of local causes, but I’m especially proud of what we’ve done to help people in Ukraine. We’ve sent five truckloads of clothes, medical supplies, and essentials through a network in Philadelphia. This store gives me the ability to contribute, and I want my life’s work to make a difference.

I love cutting firewood. We heat our farmhouse with a fireplace insert, and I haven’t needed an oil refill in four years. Trees fall, I get the chainsaw and the log splitter—and that’s a good day.

Also, to my recollection, we’ve never NOT opened the store on a business day, rain, snow, or shine.