GREENFIELD — Sixty-five-year-old Michael Ruggeri remembers first working at his family-owned business, now called Ruggeri’s Discount Beverage and Redemption Center, at the age of 18. His son, Joseph, now 39, swept the front sidewalk as a 6-year-old.
After a century in the family, Ruggeri’s Discount Beverage and Redemption Center is being put up for sale, a tough decision for Michael Ruggeri, now the owner and manager.
“It was an incredibly difficult decision to make,” Michael Ruggeri said.
Michael and Joseph Ruggeri said the decision has been almost a year in the making, with Michael Ruggeri saying it’s simply “time for a change.” He plans to keep working, turning his attention to real estate.
Having passed through three generations of Ruggeris, Joseph Ruggeri, who started Ruggeri Real Estate, had to decide if he wanted to continue the family tradition with the business. Joseph’s only brother, John Ruggeri, lives in New Orleans.
“I really had to do some soul searching to see if I could run a package store and a real estate business,” Joseph Ruggeri said, finding he “didn’t want to switch gears.”
The store has deep roots in Greenfield, originally starting in 1917, across the street from its current location at 126 Deerfield St., as the neighborhood grocery store. Michael’s grandparents, Antonio and Rose Ruggeri, who emigrated from Italy, operated the first-floor storefront while residing on the second floor.
“This was before Stop & Shop and the big grocery stores in town,” Michael Ruggeri said.
Michael’s father, Alphonse Ruggeri, opened the Green River Package Store selling beer and wine in the current building in 1937. Eventually, the family purchased the adjacent building, too — once a leather shop, Michael Ruggeri said — and expanded, absorbing the grocery store.
Over the years, the store has weathered its fair share of storms, including a 1930s flood where water rose higher than the store’s roof, and Hurricane Irene, when the Green River drew up to the back of the building, Michael Ruggeri said.
After being overseen by Michael’s uncle Mathew Ruggeri, Michael and Carol Ruggeri took over operation in 1974. Since then, the business has removed the butcher shop, reduced its grocery selection, added a redemption center and obtained a package store license in 2002.
“The focus of this business is the beer, wine and liquor,” Joseph Ruggeri said. The redemption center, he continued, is the only full-service redemption center in Franklin County.
Standing outside the store Tuesday afternoon, Michael and Joseph Ruggeri said their hellos to seemingly every customer who walked through the door, asking, “How was ski season?” and “How are the kids?”
“We have the best customers in town, loyal customers,” Joseph Ruggeri said. “We’ve made a lot of friends … This is such a part of our life.”
Michael Ruggeri said the majority of the store’s customers are regulars, with the business providing service to the whole south side of town. The same family feel extends to the store’s employees, Joseph Ruggeri said.
“The employees are really treated like family,” he said. “You get treated like a person here.”
Should the business sell, Michael and Carol Ruggeri would assist the new owners for another month or two to ensure a smooth transition, and Michael Ruggeri would still own the building, renting the space to the new business owners. The employees, Michael Ruggeri said, would like to continue working there.
“You get the keys, you come in the next day and you start making money,” Michael Ruggeri said, noting how steady the business has been over the years.
The business consists of 2,000 square feet of retail space, 2,000 square feet of basement space where inventory and redeemed cans and bottles are stored, and a garage space that stores more redeemed cans and bottles.
Those interested in purchasing Ruggeri’s Discount Beverage and Redemption Center should call Joseph Ruggeri at 413-222-9291.
You can reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 257