PittPenn 03
Dec 11, 2006, 6:23 PM
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/tribpm/s_483679.html
All in the family
By Kim Lyons
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 11, 2006
While business districts in other city neighborhoods fight off the chain gangs, Bloomfield's Liberty Avenue has thrived quietly for more than seven decades with its independent and ethnic shops.
And it's the rule, not the exception in Bloomfield, to find second and even third generations running the businesses their grandparents started.
While Bloomfield's family traditions give the neighborhood personality, Richard Schwarz, executive director of the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation, thinks more can be done to attract the coveted under-30 crowd.
Bloomfield doesn't need a massive overhaul, Schwarz said, because it has a strong identity as an Italian-American neighborhood.
"As the generations that started these successful businesses in Bloomfield start to die off or retire, you want the next generation of owners to be able to cater to that younger audience," he said.
We found three businesses in their third generation of ownership within three blocks of each other in Bloomfield:
Dan Cercone Hairstyling
4720 Liberty Ave.
The decor at Dan Cercone Hairstyling hasn't been updated for a while, owner Dennis Scullion admitted.
"I think the last time it was remodeled was in the 1950s," Scullion said. "We've still got the ugly paneling, the ugly felt wallpaper. Nothing goes, but everything flows."
And the management hasn't changed much in 74 years, either. Scullion's grandfather, Dan Cercone, opened the shop in 1932, and ran it until his death in 1992. Scullion, 43, has run it ever since.
He's worked at the barbershop on and off since age 10 -- as a janitor, and shining shoes. Scullion worked other jobs, but said he always knew he'd come back to the barbershop.
"The other day, I came across my eighth-grade yearbook," he said. "Under 'ambitions,' I put either a pro football player or a barber. So even in the eighth grade, I knew I wanted to cut hair."
When he's ready to retire, Scullion said it would be nice to hand the business down to the fourth generation -- he has three sons who have mentioned an interest. "They're thinking about it," he said.
Scullion said he hasn't tinkered much with his grandfather's business. The shop even has a traditional barber pole outside, which Scullion said needs to be replaced.
"It spins, but only if you smack it," he said with a chuckle. "It's not the original one, but it's been there a long time."
Del's Bar and Ristorante
4428 Liberty Ave.
The DelPizzo family has been feeding people in the East End since 1949. Benny and Mary DelPizzo emigrated in 1908, and opened a grocery store at Larimer Avenue and Meadow Street. That store later became the Meadow Grill, which boasted the first wood-burning pizza oven.
The family sold the Meadow Grill in 1949, and the couple's sons Dino and Bob, and their wives, Josephine and Gerry, opened Del's at its current location in Bloomfield.
Josephine took over in 1974, and her son John and daughter Marianne became the owners in 1980.
The menu still has a lot of Benny and Mary DelPizzo's recipes -- sauces, wedding soup, brasciole and marinated carrots.
Despite the competition from other restaurants nearby, Del's is always busy. During a recent lunch rush, John DelPizzo said he thinks Del's has done well for, among other reasons, its location.
"Bloomfield is really a solid neighborhood," John DelPizzo said. "It's been stable for a long, long time."
Donatelli's Market
4711 Liberty Ave.
Frank Donatelli opened his market the same year Dan Cercone started cutting hair on Liberty Avenue. His son Paul only handed the business down to sons Paul Jr. and Russ within the past five years.
"He's still in charge, I guess you could say," Paul Donatelli Jr., 48, said with a laugh.
For the most part, like the other family businesses along Liberty Avenue, Donatelli's has stuck with what works. The smell of Italian cheeses, meats and cookies-- don't forget the cookies-- take even those who have never visited back to Italy, and Rose Acquafondata has been making ravioli and pasta while customers watch at Donatelli's for more than 25 years.
"It's a real neighborhood," Donatelli said of Bloomfield. "It's not exactly like it was when I was growing up, but it's still a lot of the same families. That sense of neighborhood still exists."
If his kids express a desire to take over when he's ready to step down, Donatelli said, it would be fine with him.
"It's not going to be required," he said. "This isn't a 40-hour-a-week job. But I love what I do."
Businesses in Bloomfield that have stood the test of time.
Lombardozzi's Restaurant
4786 Liberty Ave.
Tony Lombardozzi remembers when he was the young upstart in Bloomfield. "There was a write-up in the paper when we opened, that said we were trying to get in the mix with Del's and the Pleasure Bar," Lombardozzi said, his voice still bearing a trace of an Italian accent. "They thought we wouldn't be able to compete."
Forty-four years later, Lombardozzi's Restaurant is alive and well -- a staple among Liberty Avenue's eateries. His son Nino is the chef at the restaurant, and, Tony said, will probably take over when he's ready to retire.
Lombardozzi said that's not likely to be anytime soon.
Bloomfield Bridge Tavern
4412 Liberty Ave.
The Bloomfield Bridge Tavern is the last stop on Liberty Avenue before the Bloomfield Bridge, and stands out as the only Polish restaurant in the pasta-and-pizza-laden neighborhood.
It's also one of the few businesses that regularly attracts an under-30 crowd. It even has its own MySpace page, listed under "Polish Party House." Owners Steve and Carl Frankowski took over the tradition started by their father, Stanley, who was a strong supporter of local musicians. Tuesdays are acoustic open stage night, Wednesdays are drum and bass night, and live bands are featured every weekend.
Jake Britsch, 24, who said he lives in Bloomfield for the cheap rent, organizes the drum and bass night, and claims it attracts DJs from all over the world.
Kim Lyons can be reached at klyons@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7922.
All in the family
By Kim Lyons
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 11, 2006
While business districts in other city neighborhoods fight off the chain gangs, Bloomfield's Liberty Avenue has thrived quietly for more than seven decades with its independent and ethnic shops.
And it's the rule, not the exception in Bloomfield, to find second and even third generations running the businesses their grandparents started.
While Bloomfield's family traditions give the neighborhood personality, Richard Schwarz, executive director of the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation, thinks more can be done to attract the coveted under-30 crowd.
Bloomfield doesn't need a massive overhaul, Schwarz said, because it has a strong identity as an Italian-American neighborhood.
"As the generations that started these successful businesses in Bloomfield start to die off or retire, you want the next generation of owners to be able to cater to that younger audience," he said.
We found three businesses in their third generation of ownership within three blocks of each other in Bloomfield:
Dan Cercone Hairstyling
4720 Liberty Ave.
The decor at Dan Cercone Hairstyling hasn't been updated for a while, owner Dennis Scullion admitted.
"I think the last time it was remodeled was in the 1950s," Scullion said. "We've still got the ugly paneling, the ugly felt wallpaper. Nothing goes, but everything flows."
And the management hasn't changed much in 74 years, either. Scullion's grandfather, Dan Cercone, opened the shop in 1932, and ran it until his death in 1992. Scullion, 43, has run it ever since.
He's worked at the barbershop on and off since age 10 -- as a janitor, and shining shoes. Scullion worked other jobs, but said he always knew he'd come back to the barbershop.
"The other day, I came across my eighth-grade yearbook," he said. "Under 'ambitions,' I put either a pro football player or a barber. So even in the eighth grade, I knew I wanted to cut hair."
When he's ready to retire, Scullion said it would be nice to hand the business down to the fourth generation -- he has three sons who have mentioned an interest. "They're thinking about it," he said.
Scullion said he hasn't tinkered much with his grandfather's business. The shop even has a traditional barber pole outside, which Scullion said needs to be replaced.
"It spins, but only if you smack it," he said with a chuckle. "It's not the original one, but it's been there a long time."
Del's Bar and Ristorante
4428 Liberty Ave.
The DelPizzo family has been feeding people in the East End since 1949. Benny and Mary DelPizzo emigrated in 1908, and opened a grocery store at Larimer Avenue and Meadow Street. That store later became the Meadow Grill, which boasted the first wood-burning pizza oven.
The family sold the Meadow Grill in 1949, and the couple's sons Dino and Bob, and their wives, Josephine and Gerry, opened Del's at its current location in Bloomfield.
Josephine took over in 1974, and her son John and daughter Marianne became the owners in 1980.
The menu still has a lot of Benny and Mary DelPizzo's recipes -- sauces, wedding soup, brasciole and marinated carrots.
Despite the competition from other restaurants nearby, Del's is always busy. During a recent lunch rush, John DelPizzo said he thinks Del's has done well for, among other reasons, its location.
"Bloomfield is really a solid neighborhood," John DelPizzo said. "It's been stable for a long, long time."
Donatelli's Market
4711 Liberty Ave.
Frank Donatelli opened his market the same year Dan Cercone started cutting hair on Liberty Avenue. His son Paul only handed the business down to sons Paul Jr. and Russ within the past five years.
"He's still in charge, I guess you could say," Paul Donatelli Jr., 48, said with a laugh.
For the most part, like the other family businesses along Liberty Avenue, Donatelli's has stuck with what works. The smell of Italian cheeses, meats and cookies-- don't forget the cookies-- take even those who have never visited back to Italy, and Rose Acquafondata has been making ravioli and pasta while customers watch at Donatelli's for more than 25 years.
"It's a real neighborhood," Donatelli said of Bloomfield. "It's not exactly like it was when I was growing up, but it's still a lot of the same families. That sense of neighborhood still exists."
If his kids express a desire to take over when he's ready to step down, Donatelli said, it would be fine with him.
"It's not going to be required," he said. "This isn't a 40-hour-a-week job. But I love what I do."
Businesses in Bloomfield that have stood the test of time.
Lombardozzi's Restaurant
4786 Liberty Ave.
Tony Lombardozzi remembers when he was the young upstart in Bloomfield. "There was a write-up in the paper when we opened, that said we were trying to get in the mix with Del's and the Pleasure Bar," Lombardozzi said, his voice still bearing a trace of an Italian accent. "They thought we wouldn't be able to compete."
Forty-four years later, Lombardozzi's Restaurant is alive and well -- a staple among Liberty Avenue's eateries. His son Nino is the chef at the restaurant, and, Tony said, will probably take over when he's ready to retire.
Lombardozzi said that's not likely to be anytime soon.
Bloomfield Bridge Tavern
4412 Liberty Ave.
The Bloomfield Bridge Tavern is the last stop on Liberty Avenue before the Bloomfield Bridge, and stands out as the only Polish restaurant in the pasta-and-pizza-laden neighborhood.
It's also one of the few businesses that regularly attracts an under-30 crowd. It even has its own MySpace page, listed under "Polish Party House." Owners Steve and Carl Frankowski took over the tradition started by their father, Stanley, who was a strong supporter of local musicians. Tuesdays are acoustic open stage night, Wednesdays are drum and bass night, and live bands are featured every weekend.
Jake Britsch, 24, who said he lives in Bloomfield for the cheap rent, organizes the drum and bass night, and claims it attracts DJs from all over the world.
Kim Lyons can be reached at klyons@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7922.