Business Profile: High Five Discount Store, Mahopac
Denise Pellegrino knows better than many others that it’s never too late to try something new. With three kids and plenty of responsibilities that any suburban mom has, the Mahopac resident opened a new discount store along Route 6 in the town she resides.
Opened since October 1, High Five Discount Store offers a wide variety of goodies, stationary, party accessories and everyday necessities at prices for the frugal minded. With deals like two cards for one dollar, and a wide array of balloons, Pellegrino hopes her store becomes a destination for the surrounding community she’s been apart of as a resident for more than a decade.
For many years now, Pellegrino wanted a business to call her own. She chose this type of store because it’s a place she’d like to shop at. There was a similar store on the Somers/Mahopac border she used to go to, but when that closed, there was a void in the community that needed to be filled, Pellegrino said.
“Everything’s a risk so if you don’t try, how would you know, how would you succeed so that’s why I did it,” Pellegrino said. “Try something new, you never know.”
Pellegrino, a proud mother of three, said she started to have the urge to open a discount shop when all of her kids began school. With her youngest child in third grade and more time on her hands, Pellegrino thought it was time to take the big step forward.
The store’s name, High Five is derived from Pellegrino’s goal to ensure every item is under $5.99. Some discount stores might come off as a bargain, but in many cases there are items that are at least 20 dollars. Finding every item that’s good quality to fill the store isn’t easy, Pellegrino admits, but she makes it work and if a customer asks for something not on the premises, she’s open to finding that for them.
“I search non-stop,” she said. “Never ending.”
As a former medical billing worker for a major hospital, Pellegrino has had to learn almost everything about business as she undertakes this exciting venture. Leaving her job 12 years ago to care for her first born, Pellegrino is picking up everything from scratch.
But what she’s learning on the fly, she makes up for with dedication and desire. She’s putting everything she has into High Five and she hopes it shows by giving the best deal to customers in the community.
As a Mahopac resident where she lives with her family, Pellegrino made it a point to open in the community she resides. Coming from the Bronx to the hamlet with her husband to start raising a family, Pellegrino has lived in Mahopac for 14 years.
“It was really ideal to open in Mahopac,” she said. “It meant a lot to be in town. It’s a small town and we all try to stick together supporting each other so that meant a lot.”
High Five is located at 250 Route 6 in Mahopac and its phone number is 845-628-6100.
