Caraluzzi is as familiar a name to Bethelites as P.T. Barnum, with many of the Caraluzzi family members being widely recognizable in town having grown up working in the family store. Caraluzzi’s Bethel Food Market is celebrating its 75th year since Tony Caraluzzi Sr. bought the Bethel Fruit & Vegetable Market in 1949 near the train station.
The business today is run by the third generation of Tony’s family. Mark Caraluzzi, President and CEO of the business since 2005, runs it with his sister Jennifer and cousin Steve both of whom also hold executive positions and play key roles in running the company. They took over from Tony’s sons Lou, Ed, Bob, and Tony, Jr..
When he bought the business, Tony, Sr. anticipated that even though the town had 10 markets, his would fare well because of its location and gain the business of commuters up from Grand Central. He managed to build and retain a loyal following and expanded his store to a 3,000 square foot building up the road at 98 Greenwood Avenue.
“In 1949, it was an active train station and a lot of people were coming up there. They would call in their order and pick it up when they got off the trains so when my grandfather moved up the road he was worried if they’d keep coming,” Mark Caraluzzi said.
The store was renovated and the company expanded with more growth in the 2000s. “It was right at that point when the third generation had come in, myself included, and started to grow the family business.” In 2003, the first expansion store in Wilton opened. Tony Sr. died later that year, but lived long enough to be proud of his family succession. Two more stores, Newtown and Danbury followed.
Mark is the son of Tony, Jr. who is a snow bird and “loving” retirement. He used to like going to work with his father and like other members of the family, grew up stocking shelves, helping customers, bagging groceries, and checking out shoppers.
The Bethel store serves as a model for the other location in that even though each is remodeled at different times, the customer experience will always be the same.
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“We know some customers shop in multiple stores. Going into any Caraluzzi’s Market provides the same experience," Mark said.
One of the company mottos for employees is to think of the customers coming in and treat them the way you would want to be treated when you shop somewhere.
The Bethel location and the town is, "super special to us because that’s where it all started and just the fact that as Bethel’s grown we’ve grown. It’s been a mutual kind of relationship. Everything we learned about ourselves and how to run a business came from those original roots which were grounded in Bethel."
"It’s still our headquarters. It’s still our home store and it will always be special. All of us as kids worked there. Your dad took you to work and you’re putting a can of soup in the aisle or collecting shopping carts in the lot."
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We asked some local Bethelites about their impressions of shopping at Caraluzzi’s over the years. Bryan Terzian picks up a takeout meal from Caraluzzi’s when he’s working during the day and does his grocery shopping there. He likes the experience for several reasons.. “They have excellent quality meats and produce. They are constantly taking care of our needs. If you’re having a party they cut the meat for you. The customer service is unbelievable.”
Genée West lives close by the store so shopping there for her family is convenient. “I like that I know the people who I see working there. I’ve been seeing them for years. It’s not like you go into a chain store and you see a lot of turnover. It’s not just about running a grocery store. It’s about running a business that takes care of their people. I’ve seen (staff) help older people to their car with heavy groceries, or covering them with umbrellas if it rains. I see Matt (Caraluzzi) all the time. He helps me so much. He’s in the bakery helping them move bread, in the stockroom pulling out stuff, and if they don’t have stuff they tell you they will order it. He seems like a genuinely nice guy.”
As a teenager sculptor Dave Gesualdi and friends worked at the store in Bethel. The owners gave "an amazing experience" by giving jobs to the students in high school, he said. The sons of Tony, Sr. were running the store at that time, he recalled, telling this story. "The movie "Rocky" was out then and my friends and I wrapped our hands in Saran Wrap and went into the meat locker to punch the meat like Rocky did. I think it was a very tender chuck that week! The brothers were very tolerant of us. They probably knew what we were doing. They were very kind, very tolerant of us. It was our first job. We were trying to do a good job and they were trying to teach us a few things as teenagers. We learned about working for a living, punching a clock."
Gesualdi shops at the store about once a week these days. He likes how you can go into any checkout line and be checked out quickly. "The people that work there are very efficient, he said. "It really is a family-run store."
Penny Kessler has been shopping at Caraluzzi’s since it was called Bethel Food Market when the aisles were so narrow that you couldn’t fit 2 shopping carts going in opposite directions down the aisle, she said. “It’s our go-to grocery store. The service is excellent, the staff is friendly, the store layout is easy to follow, and they have a huge selection of everything we need. Everything is fresh, the baked goods are delicious, and the fish/meat departments are always well-stocked with quality food. ”The store is only 5 minutes away. “Why would we shop anywhere else.” The liquor store at the location also makes for one stop shopping she noted.
Suze Shaner-Brodax has been a Bethel resident for 26 years and loves shopping at Caraluzzi's. She shares, "whenever I want something special (like when I was doing the celery juicing) I would ask Matt and he made sure I got my order. They have a good supply of organic produce which we buy. The checkout and customer service staff is always friendly and accommodating. It's nice knowing I can support an independent grocer who cares and supports its community, especially in this age of large corporations. I frequent the message board and post happenings there as well. So all in all, it feels like my neighborhood store is stocked with a full range of food preferences."
The Caraluzzi's shopping experience has evolved over the past 75 years and is a big part of why living in Bethel or any place near a Caraluzzi's store is special.
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