Full Text:

Mixing The Old With The New: Bethel Food Market Celebrates 50 Years By Looking

to its Past and Future

(with cuts)

BY JEFF WHITE

Anthony Caraluzzi, Sr, still comes into Bethel Food Market every day. The

91-year-old founder walks 10 times around the periphery of the store,

accompanied by his wife, Julia. The ritual is mostly for exercise, he insists.

But it is also a way to keep an eye on the store, to make sure that as the

market prepares to celebrate 50 years of business, it does not lose sight of

the basic tenants of service and quality on which it was founded.

"We are well into the third generation," says Anthony Caraluzzi, Jr, of the

family-owned business. He now manages the day-to-day operations of the market,

which is still seeing growth despite the presence of large grocery chains in

neighboring towns.

"We're very aware of what our customers are buying and doing, what our

competition is doing, and that's my job," he continues. "Service makes us

stand out. At any given time, we have at least four owners on the floor, so

people can speak directly to them."

Along with Anthony, Jr, Bob, Tony and Eddie Caraluzzi, grandchildren Matt,

Steve and Jennifer have all taken up various aspects of operating the store.

The three generations of the family have endured and thrived with change, and

as the new generation prepares to take the reins of leadership, the traditions

of Anthony Caraluzzi, Sr, continue.

A History Of Service

It all started 50 years ago, when the eldest Caraluzzi decided to quit his job

of 27 years and get started on his career. Mr Caraluzzi worked in a high

quality, service-oriented chain store called Gristede's in the Bronx through

the years of the depression and World War II.

But he saw the writing on the wall. He knew there was little chance for

further personal growth in the corporation, and in 1949, at the age of 45, he

invested every last nickel he had into purchasing the Bethel Fruit and

Vegetable Market with his oldest son Lou. He immediately converted the market

into a grocery store, expanding the product line to include meats and other

retail items.

It was a different kind of business back then, Mr Caraluzzi Jr recalls of

those early years. Most of Bethel Fruit and Vegetable Market's business came

from phone orders and deliveries to people's front doors. Customers used

charge accounts back then, and paid for their groceries once a month.

One by one, Mr Caraluzzi, Sr, saw his sons come into the business. Lou had

been there from Bethel Fruit and Vegetable's inception. Soon after, Ed and Bob

came aboard, and Anthony, Jr, started in 1960. He's been there ever since. At

one point every member of the Caraluzzi family delivered groceries to

customers' homes.

By 1952, the business expanded with the purchase of Redding Ridge Market, and

in 1959, Bethel Fruit and Vegetable moved to 98 Greenwood Avenue, where it

still stands today.

The store's evolution has hinged on a philosophy long held by the eldest Mr

Caraluzzi: grow with the customer.

"You will find out more about your customers by being with them than any other

survey you can perform," says Mr Caraluzzi, Sr.

"My father had the vision to know that you have to grow and change with the

times," Mr Caraluzzi, Jr, adds.

The Store Today

And Tomorrow

In 50 years, the supermarket industry has changed from neighborhood markets to

mega-supermarkets outfitted with everything from banks to food courts and

video rental stores.

"My father always said that there's really not a lot new in this business, it

just comes around again," said Mr Caraluzzi, Jr. "But the basic concepts that

were good 50 years ago are sill good today."

In other words, keeping a clean market, and servicing the customer at every

opportunity. These have been the pillars on which the Caraluzzi family has

built a 50-year business.

"We have never taken any of our customers for granted, and that's why we're

still here," says Mr Caraluzzi, Jr. "There were 11 stores that were here when

this store began, and they're all gone, including a chain store that didn't

change for 15 years."

The challenge over the years for the Caraluzzi family has been maintaining the

high level of service customers have come to expect, while embracing changing

times in the grocery industry.

Today's customers at Bethel Food Market are different from the ones in the

days of the Fruit and Vegetable Market. They are usually dual-income and busy

customers, often times preferring to shop on Sundays.

"We know enough that the retail business is changing," acknowledges Mr

Caraluzzi, Jr. "The days of the customer buying a 10-pound bag of potatoes and

five-pound bags of sugar are gone. People today want fresh produce, they want

prepared meals, and they want hot foods already cooked."

"It's a changing environment, and we're changing with it," he adds.

The store has seen two major extensions, one in 1973, and most recently in

1989. New hot food counters have been added, and there is an increased

selection of ready-to-eat meals and deserts.

In addition, the Caraluzzi family has applied its business philosophy to the

liquor store market, purchasing the old Finast Supermarket on Greenwood Avenue

and turning it into Nutmeg Discount Liquors, an idea spawned from Mr

Caraluzzi, Jr's unhappiness with the level of service in other area liquor

stores.

When asked how his business has fared in the wake of large mega-stores

emerging in neighboring towns, Mr Caraluzzi, Jr says that Bethel Food Market

is still growing. Because of efficient operation and relatively low overhead

costs, the market is able to price its products to compete with the big chain

stores. And the family hopes in the next three years to open another store in

the area; they tentatively have their eyes on Monroe.

"I think you have to recognize that there are going to be new factors in the

business all the time; you have to be ready for them, and you have to

anticipate them," he says.

"My dad used to say `if you do something right, just keep doing it,' whatever

we've done for the last 50 years has been working."

Celebrating The Customer

In honor of its 50th year in business, the Caraluzzi family wants to honor the

customers that have been bringing their business through the market's door for

nearly two generations.

In late June, the family donated $100,000 in scholarships to Western

Connecticut State University, a commitment that is eligible for the

Connecticut State Matching grant program. It was a gift, says Mr Caraluzzi,

Jr, to honor not only 50 years of business, but also the legacy of his

parents. "It's going to be something that will grow as time goes on."

Over the past three weekends, there have been numerous customer appreciation

activities held in the market's parking lot.

"We wanted to do something for the everyday customer," he explains. The

weekends have included pie eating and putting contests, face painting, button

making, and other activities catered to children and families.

The anniversary celebrations will culminate this Sunday, August 8, with a

carnival complete with rides, games of chance, free food, and great values

within the market. The festivities will then move to the municipal center on

the Bethel green for a concert.

"The community response has been terrific," Mr Caraluzzi says.

For the family, the month-long celebration of the business founded by their

father is also a celebration of their customers. As it was when Mr Caraluzzi,

Sr first opened the door to the Bethel Food Market, customers are still the

priority, and service is still the store's greatest attribute.

"Our success rides on one thing: never take your customer for granted, and we

don't," says Mr Caraluzzi, Jr. "We're out there trying to do the best for him

or her."