Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Rich Giomi, 32, the new buyer for Gene's Fine Foods, stands in the wine section, which was added last year.
Legacy of grocery store keeps it all in the family
By Rebecca Ray
Rich Giomi followed a family tradition. His father, Richard Giomi, tried to escape working for his father, Gene Giomi, at the grocery store Gene owned. But not only did Richard work at Gene's Fine Foods, he is now the company president.
Rich tried to escape working at the company, too. Since high school, he had worked off and on as a waiter and busboy at numerous restaurants on the west side of the county. But during that time, he also worked off and on for the independent grocery store as a general merchandising clerk.
Like his father, Rich has risen within the ranks of the company. On March 31, he took over the buying position, which had been occupied by his first cousin, Terry Giomi, for the past 12 years.
"It was probably the best thing that could happen to me," Rich, 32, said. "It's like I'm finally paying my dues now. The store has paid for everything in my life, and it's my turn to give back." He added that working for the company was better for his wife, Ellen, and two-year-old son, Kainoa.
Rich buys products for both store locations--one in Pleasanton, the other at 18850 Cox Avenue, in Saratoga's Quito Village shopping center. For now, Rich's goal is to keep the business on track the way Terry did, he said, and see it grow--not so much in terms of store locations, but more in terms of serving the clientele of its established stores. Company personnel are happy in the communities in which they currently work and just want to see the two stores succeed, Rich said.
Rich has already faced challenges in his new position. There is no assistant buyer at the company, and he has to do the work of both a buyer and an assistant buyer, which doesn't make his job any easier, he said. While Rich has to buy high-demand products to compete with other grocery stores, he can't buy as many products as some stores because neither of Gene's location has as much space. The building in Saratoga, where the company opened in 1972, is 28,000 square feet. The store in Pleasanton, which was opened in 1993, has only 26,000 square feet.
Rich, a Saratoga resident, said it was also a challenge for the company to remain "on the cutting edge" in the business. And because of the state of the economy, Rich said he feels that the company has to be even more competitive.
In March 2000, the company held a grand re-opening at the Saratoga location to celebrate the addition of 2,100 square feet to the store. With the new square footage came the expansion of the deli and the addition of the wine department. The store also got a new deli and meat cases, lights and refrigeration, and the tan tiles were replaced with white, black and gray tiles. The company currently plans to replace machinery in the store, Rich said.
Gene started the business in San Francisco in 1928. Later, the business expanded to five store locations. Then Gene went into business with his brothers Hugo and Angelo, and sold some of the stores in San Francisco, before they bought stores in Burlingame, Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto. The Palo Alto store, which opened in 1948, was sold in 1994. Gene's partnership with his brothers lasted until the 1960s.
Before Rich became the buyer, he "did a little bit of everything everyday" at the Saratoga location, he said, working in the frozen foods and wine sections, doing computer work and stocking shelves. He enjoyed "working on the floor" and spending time with customers, some of whom had shopped there for many years. "It's like an extended family around here," he said. Even co-workers who aren't part of the Giomi family are like family members--Don Smedjir, the general manager of both store locations, has been with the company for a little more than 20 years.
"I finally feel like I have a place," Rich said.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
