Simsbury Small Business Spotlight: Fitzgerald's Foods

Simsbury Small Business Spotlight is a new weekly feature that will highlight a vital piece of the fabric of any small town—small businesses.

The following is an interview conducted with Bryan and Sandy Devoe, owners of Fitzgerald's Foods.

This week's spotlight business was recommended by Simsbury Main Street Partnership.

When did your business open? Is it locally-owned?

We purchased the store from Warren Boyle  on July 1, 2010 after he owned it 22 years.  The store was owned for approx. 20 years previous to him by the founders of Fitzgerald's Foods  Jack Fitzgerald.  We are family owned in every sense of the term....My wife Sandy oversees the kitchen and Deli departments, my daughter Heather manages the Bakery Dept., my nephew Kyle is our Produce manager, and my niece Amanda is our Front End manager.  In addition my brother Glenn handles the store maintenance needs, my mother in law takes care of Floral, I have a niece working part time in the kitchen and office and my son picks up shifts in the grocery department.

What types of services/products do you offer?

We are a full service supermarket specializing in high quality perishabe products.  We do things chain stores will not because of the high labor costs.  Our prepared food is made here on site by very talented chefs.  We use the same quality we sell in all of our recipies.  Our bakery products are also created and prepared here in our store.  There are many frozen pre cooked items available to retailers these days that save time and money, but we won't use them because we want the products we make to taste home made.  Our meat department offers only certified Angus Beef, there is no beef more flavorful and tender in the market place.  We are also proud to offer Bell & Evans Chicken Products and Plainville Farms Turkey Products, they are the leader in their respective industries.  Chairman's Reserve Pork, American Lamb, and USDA Choice Veal are all we carry in those product lines.  We are also proud to say that all of our fresh meat and poultry products are produced right here in the USA!

Why did you decide to open your business in Simsbury?

My wife and I had talked for years about aquiring our own store, and Fitzgerald's Foods was a great opportunity for us.  We loved the community atmosphere, and although Fitzgerald's was a great community store we could see huge potenial for growth with our experiance in the perishable side of the buisness.  We are on the floor working, stocking cooking whatever the day brings, and love what we do.

What is your mission/goal as a Simsbury business owner?

Our goal from day one is to become part of this wonderful community.  We are very sensitive to local groups and try to stay involved in community events.

How did you get your start?

I have always been in the retail grocery buiness, from the day I turned 16.  The funny thing is my wife and I met while working for Warren Boyle some 34 years ago.  She was a cashier, I was a front end manager.  We started dating and Warren transfered Sandy to the deli.  Probably was a good idea.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

It's hard to believe we've been here close to 3 years.  We hope customers are enjoying the changes we have made so far and we are not done yet.  It has been everything we had hoped, and the community has been as warm and welcoming as we expected.  We want to thank every one of our customers for their support, we truly appreciate your buisness.

BUSINESS INFORMATION

Business: Fitzgerald's Foods
Owners:  Bryan and Sandy Devoe
Address:  710 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury 06070
Phone number:  860-658-2271
Hours: Open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday—Saturday
Website: www.fitzgeraldsfoods.com