A longtime independent grocery store in Old Forge will be sold to a regional chain.
Rossi’s ShurSave Supermarket will become a Ray’s ShurSave at the end of the month.
Rossi’s began operations in 1988 on Main Street in Old Forge and moved in 1999 to a 22,000-square-foot location on Lawrence Street that had been an Insalaco’s and a Bi-Lo. Ray’s started in
Factoryville in 1979 and also has locations in Waymart and Montrose.
“We are just at an age where we felt we had to downsize,” said Toni Cusumano, a co-owner at Rossi’s.
“We went as far as we wanted and it was time for a change,” co-owner Larry Rossi said. “It’s good for the town. Change is always good.”
While Rossi’s will consolidate at a recently opened smaller location in the Abingtons, the Old Forge store will undergo renovations and an expansion. The sale price was not disclosed.
“I’m excited to be going down there and I hope we are well-accepted,” said Ray Petty of Spring Brook Twp., the owner of Ray’s. “It’s a great town.”
Mr. Petty said he plans to expand the supermarket by 2,000 square feet, renovate the front of the building, change the interior décor and install new display cases by 2013..
The Lawrence Street site, just west of Main Street, is owned by Insalaco’s Real Estate, of Pittston. The Insalaco family operated a supermarket at the location before the 14-store chain was sold in 1993 to Penn Traffic, of Syracuse, N.Y. Penn Traffic operated the Bi-Lo chain before its remaining assets were sold through a New York bankruptcy court in 2010.
Mr. Petty, who got his start in the grocery business in 1966 with Insalaco’s, said he is in negotiations to purchase the Old Forge location and expects to close the property sale within months. He said he plans to hire Rossi’s 65 employees.
Rossi’s opened a location in late February at Red Barn Village Inc., a commercial, residential, hospitality and office complex in Newton Twp. Rossi’s 4,500-square-foot space there is more manageable, Mrs. Cusumano said, and allows the owners to concentrate on specialties, including custom-cut meats, homemade sausage, pasta dishes and other prepared foods.
“We are grateful for the support we got from Old Forge and surrounding communities,” Mrs. Cusumano said. “Our children all have careers. They are not interested in the grocery store business.”
Area residents should be pleased by the Old Forge market’s new ownership, Mr. Rossi said.
“We thought Ray would be a good match for Old Forge,” he said.
Contact the writer: jhaggerty@timesshamrock.com