Di Bruno Bros. celebrates its 80th anniversary and unveils plans for further growth.
By Kat Zeman, Knighthouse Media
Philadelphia is a vibrant city where local food culture has a voice. It crosses ethnic and social backgrounds, enabling its residents to build a shared culture around food. “We’re a blue-collar city that appreciates good food, sports and history,” says Bill Mignucci Jr., president and CEO of Di Bruno Bros., a specialty food retailer with deep roots in Philadelphia.
Read more ...
America’s Thrift Stores’ vast distribution network offers consumers a new selection of items
every time they shop, which equals consistent growth for the company.
By Janice Hoppe-Spiers, Knighthouse Media
There is no denying e-commerce has drastically changed the retail landscape, but America’s Thrift Stores is proving the importance of brick-and-mortar locations in its segment as the company continues to enjoy significant same-store sales growth. “We are exceptionally healthy and enjoying our ninth quarter in a row of overall comp store sales growth with a minimum of 10-plus stores growing and it’s our third quarter in a row of every single one of our 17 stores growing,” President and CEO Ken Sobaski says. “We are on a roll and we are doing all of it without any online transactions.”
Read more ...
New York-based Turco’s offers its customers what its competitors can’t.
By Kat Zeman
With a vast array of specialty departments, Turco’s is more than a full-service grocery store. Specializing in prepared foods, the Yorktown Heights, N.Y. food market has worked its way into the hearts and stomachs of locals far and wide.
Turco’s makes its own sausage, smokes its own salmon, bakes its own bread, makes its own pasta and sauces and offers homemade soup – to name only a few delightful deeds. “Not everyone can do what we do,” says Preston Turcos, president and founder. “You want good food, you go to Turco’s. There’s a big difference between outsourcing your products and making then fresh every day.”
Read more ...
After more than 75 years in business, Lewis Stores remains competitive with a strong team,
ties to its communities and a large offering of products.
By Staci Davidson, Knighthouse Media
The e-commerce behemoths offer the market convenience. Consumers go online, place an order with their retailer of choice, and a day or so later, a package arrives. We all know, however, it’s not always that simple, and issues can be difficult to resolve. Lewis Stores also offers convenience, but with its 59 brick-and-mortar locations in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa, the local retailer offers a lot more than its online counterparts, which is why the company has adopted “your first stop” as its tagline.
Read more ...
Fast-growing Shoe Sensation is opening new stores and strengthening its community ties.
By Kat Zeman, Knighthouse Media
A regional chain of family shoe stores selling quality name-brand shoes, Shoe Sensation is a rapidly growing company with strong ties to its communities. With roughly 200 shoe stores throughout the Midwest, the Jeffersonville, Ind.-based shoe retailer continues to add new stores.
Read more ...
The Original Pancake House expands its brand throughout the world while maintaining its authenticity
and the same attention to detail it was founded upon.
By Janice Hoppe-Spiers, Knighthouse Media
In 1953, Les Highet and his wife, Doris, combined his passion for culinary arts with her expertise in science to create the best pancake Portland, Ore., had ever tasted. It was then that The Original Pancake House was born and diners have been enjoying the couple’s authentic pancake recipe ever since.
Read more ...
One woman’s dream turned Mainstream Boutique into a multimillion-dollar business. By Kat Zeman
Even Oprah Winfrey wanted to know her secret. When Marie DeNicola made her exit from the corporate world, she took her passion for the fashion industry and turned it into a multimillion-dollar business.
Working from her basement, DeNicola called her venture the Mainstream Boutique – because she lived on Mainstream Circle. “I really wanted to appeal to women, to empower them through fashion,” DeNicola says.
DeNicola started franchising after appearing on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show in the ‘90s. Today, she sits on top of a $40 million franchise empire that has blossomed into 78 locations throughout the United States. But Mainstream Boutique’s story is still being written.
Read more ...
Iavarone Bros. is opening its second Italian restaurant in New York.
By Kat Zeman, Knighthouse Media
Famous for its Neapolitan-style sausage and pizza, Iavarone Bros. is expanding its culinary kingdom. The family-owned and operated company – which owns four European-style gourmet food markets in New York – is opening a new restaurant this summer in Plainview, N.Y.
Read more ...
