Food distributor Romeo and Sons closes after a century of tradition
Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard
Ron Romeo stands behind the counter of World Importing, where he will be ramping up operations after Romeo and Sons closed. The Romeo and Sons business near the intersection of Routes 119 and 51 closed after Romeo’s father, Frank A. Romeo, died in September. Ron and his father can be seen in a photo over Ron’s shoulder, taken on Frank’s 91st birthday.
Ron Romeo flips through his grandfather's receipt book in the upstairs office of the World Importing building on Beeson Avenue in Uniontown. Romeo's grandfather, Stefano Romeo, started his business in the same building where Ron Romeo will be ramping up his World Importing operations.
A family-owned food distribution company has gone out of business, ending a tradition that goes back nearly a century.
“He was so proud of what he did do over 71 years,” Ronald J. Romeo said of his late father Frank A. Romeo, 92, who was involved in the day-to-day activity at Romeo and Sons, Inc. until his death on Sept. 17, 2015. “He did what he could to keep the business going.”
The business started out as a family-owned grocery in a building built more than 100 years ago in downtown Uniontown and eventually expanded to a North Union Township facility that operated from August 1980 until last month.
“This was always part of Romeo and Sons,” Ronald Romeo said.
In turn, the downtown grocery bought its merchandise from that family-owned 120-by-240-foot warehouse, which had an adjacent 40-by-100-foot free-standing freezer and 90-by-90-foot refrigerated facility, all located near the interchange of Routes 51 and 119.
“At one time we had a fleet of six trucks,” Ronald Romeo recalled.
In September 2012, Romeo and Sons sold the North Union Township property to Fay-Penn Economic Development Council for $1.45 million.
“We owned it outright, and we sold it to them three years ago, and we’ve been leasing out the building,” Ronald Romeo said.
That lease continued until April 1. Fay Penn officials did not return calls seeking comment regarding the decision to not renew the lease.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to keep this place open,” Ronald Romeo said at World Importing, a bakery and grocery store at 42 S. Beeson Blvd. that specializes in Italian foods. “This was originally called Romeo’s Market. I started working here when I was 9 years old.”
That was 52 years ago.
“My grandfather (Stefano Romeo) started over on this side in 1935,” Ronald Romeo said. “He literally started that company out of this location.”
It was Stefano Romeo’s second crack at a grocery business. His first was nearby along Gallatin Avenue, from 1928 until 1932, when the nation’s economy stopped it.
“He was giving people credit,” Ronald Romeo said. “He had to close for a couple years because of the Depression.”
The second time around was the charm, as Stefano Romeo moved into a building along Beeson that once housed two retail units as well as an upstairs apartment later turned into offices and a kitchen.
“We used to do all our baking of bread and stuff upstairs,” Ronald Romeo said.
Then Frank A. Romeo came home from Europe, where he served in World War II as part of Gen. George Patton’s Third Army.
He expanded Stefano’s store.
“My father talked him into leasing out this other side, and eventually he took down the wall,” Ronald Romeo said.
And Frank A. Romeo went into distribution.
“My father started the distribution in 1945,” Ronald Romeo said. “He bought his first warehouse at 94 North Beeson. Then over the years we expanded,” including the purchase of an old railroad station.
There was a 38,000-square-foot, four-story former furniture warehouse the family acquired next to the CVS along Pittsburgh Street.
Through 1979, the Romeos operated out of three different buildings, before acquiring the North Union location.
After Frank A. Romeo passed away — Ronald was the executor — his older brother Frank S. Romeo was willed his father’s majority interest in the company. Frank S. Romeo received the stock in March.
“He liquidated the business,” Ronald Romeo said. “It is gone.”
Frank S. Romeo could not be reached for comment.
Today, there are five employees at World Importing, which Ronald Romeo bought prior to his father’s death.
“This store became a totally separate entity in 2013,” Ronald Romeo said. “(The staff is) being asked every day, ‘Are you staying open?’ I will be able to invest more of my time here.”
Ronald Romeo could have a new warehouse soon. He said he was near closure on a smaller facility.
“We have a lot of local social clubs and so forth that needed our service,” Ronald Romeo said. “We are positioning ourselves to help our customers who need help in sourcing out their products.”