A Fanfare Opening for DeCicco & Sons in Somers
By Abby Luby
When more than 350 shoppers come through your doors in the first five hours on opening day, you know you have a winner. That’s roughly how many consumers showed up at the brand new DeCicco & Sons store in Somers Friday, May 3, to shop and witness the store’s ribbon cutting ceremony.
The store opened at 7:30 a.m. and by 1 p.m. the parking lot was packed and the aisles in the newly constructed, 20,000 square foot store were filled.
“This is very exciting,” nearby resident Cathy Chiappi said. “I live five miles away and I’m always shopping in this shopping center. This store is awesome. It was a long time coming.”
The new DeCicco & Sons store is located on Route 202, next to the Towne Center at Somers shopping plaza and adjacent to the upscale condominium community, Heritage Hills. The store features a large upstairs with indoor and outdoor balcony seating, a bar with kitchen, a lounge and catering space. The store also includes fresh food stations such as a salad bar, hot food bar, sushi, antipasti bar, juice and coffee bar.
Nicole O’Leary, who works about five minutes away from the shopping center said, “I was looking forward to coming to the new store for lunch. “And I love their fresh produce, everything looks so clean.”
The store opening was widely anticipated after being delayed six months. The original opening date was slated for January 2019, but had to be postponed. The DeCicco family encountered roadblocks in their efforts to connect to the Heritage Hills Waste Water Treatment Plant, which was in the process of upgrading their system. Waiting for state and county approvals became a cumbersome and lengthy process.
“John DeCicco and John Junior are very special businessmen,” said Somers Supervisor Rick Morrissey after the ribbon cutting. “I don’t know any other businessmen that would go through this process with such grace and acumen. They kept a level head, they didn’t get frustrated, and they just moved ahead. Today’s opening is a great thing for DeCicco’s and an economic boost for the town.”
The new Somers store has 120 employees and is the eighth store in New York’s Hudson Valley. The family-owned chain operates markets in Ardsley, Armonk, Harrison, Larchmont, Millwood, Pelham, and Brewster. Since they first opened in 1973, they have distinguished themselves from other small grocery markets by their innovative beer department, their award-winning prepared Gourmet Foods and specialty departments. They have specialized in hormone-free and antibiotic-free meats that are ethically and consciously sourced from family farms and their expansive cheese selection includes in-store made mozzarella, and all their stores feature in-store baked cakes and cookies and fresh produce always attractively displayed. DeCicco & Sons were early adopters of sustainable and green technology in their stores, and the first supermarket heated by recycled radiant heat from their earth-friendly refrigeration systems. They were also among the earliest grocery chains in the state to eliminate the sale of tobacco, and to eliminate single-usage plastic bags.
Throughout opening day, shoppers streamed inside to soak up the “new store” vibe and sample freshly prepared foods strategically stationed at the end of the aisles. Sitting outside the front entrance to the store was Danielle Thomas of DeCicco’s Human Resources department. “I’ve signed up at least 70 customers for our reward card in the last 45 minutes and it’s been like this since 7:30 this morning.”
John DeCicco Sr., said he arrived at the store early before it opened and found a man waiting by the door. “He had been waiting for the store to open since 3 a.m.,” he said. “He was a Somers resident and he told me that it was his birthday. So, I invited him inside and gave him a birthday cake.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/