Residents near West Milwaukee will have a new choice for grocery shopping starting November 15 – but the store’s name will certainly be familiar to most people.
It’s the first of six new Sendik’s stores set to open during the next year.
The success story is almost a century in the making.
When he immigrated to America from Sicily, Tom Balistreri began peddling fruits and vegetables by wagon.
On Thursday his adult grandchildren, the business’s third generation, will open these doors at the latest store to carry the Sendik’s name.
On Wednesday, the place is alive with activity. Employees were pouring over every detail and polishing every fixture. The custom built building will be a model for the chain’s future feel.
Co-owner Margaret Harris is thrilled.
“We were able to do everything we wanted to do. We were able to build the departments the sizes we wanted them to be. We were able to put in all the design features,” she said.
This truly is a family affair, a sister and her three brothers banding together, building a brand, and believing in each other.
“The four of us work so well together and I think that is due to my mom and to my dad, and they’re very proud, but they should be proud because they were the ones that created the family environment that made it possible," Harris said.
“Every time they open another store, I’m more amazed," Balistreri said.
Even though he took over from his father, Balistreri finds it hard to believe how far his children have come.
“They came into the business when they were very young, and they really took off and they did a lot more than I ever thought was possible,” he proudly expressed.
