By Kalea Hall
khall@vindy.com
BOARDMAN
The scent of baking bread fills the store.
It travels to customers checking out the long rows of produce inside the Rulli Bros. store, as well as to those picking up fresh cheeses and meats.
The smell, the look and the feel of this Italian speciality grocery store reflect a quality that has kept customers coming back for 100 years.
Frank Rulli, as he walks up the stairs inside Rulli Bros. on South Avenue in Boardman, says the century went by quickly.
Frank, in black pants, a white shirt and black apron, still works 90 hours a week, his wife, Louise, says. Frank, who doesn’t reveal his age, runs his stores in Boardman and Austintown with the help of Louise, his sons and more than 100 workers.
“He does the overseeing of everything,” Louise says. “He has the most knowledge of everyone. He knows what produce is coming out. He knows what the best quality is.”
Frank knows it all because he grew up in the business.
Frank’s father, Nicola, at age 14 came to America in 1916 from Cirella, Italy, with his older brother, who also was named Frank. The brothers settled in Youngstown. A year after they arrived, they opened their store at 345 E. Federal St. downtown. Soon, they opened another location at 21 E. Federal St. and another location on Champion Street.
Since that time, Rulli’s has remained focused on quality, service and value. The quality came in what vendors were used. Produce included selections from Nicola’s own garden.
The service came in having employees behind the counter cut meats and slice bread for customers.
The value came in the low prices. Working directly with vendors has given an independent grocery store like Rulli’s the ability to negotiate the best prices for its customers.
That close relationship with customers also has been a key focus in the first 100 years.
“During the Depression, a lot of people owed them money and they overlooked it,” Louise said.
In the late 1930s, Rulli’s settled on one location at 21 E. Federal St., which is where Frank Rulli learned the business from Nicola, a hard-working family man who always had an upbeat attitude. Nicola made sure the area’s demand for Italian foods was met, even if that meant delivering them as far as West Virginia.
“I was fortunate,” Frank said. “[My father] taught me well. He made sure I had knowledge in every department.”
Nicola Rulli died when Frank was just 14. As the oldest boy, Frank had to step up and help his mother, Dale, run the store. Frank’s seven siblings also helped out.
Frank never thought about doing anything else but running the store his family built.
As he continued his education at East High School, Frank ran the store. The school worked with him so he could finish the courses necessary to graduate. He had a special driver’s license at a young age so he could go to Cleveland to buy produce.
Frank and his mother had their eyes on a new, much larger location at 35 E. Federal St., and in the late 1950s, they made the move.
“You were able to offer more product,” Frank said. “We operated there until the urban renewal. We were one of the last buildings.”
By 1970, urban renewal pushed Rulli’s into the suburbs. Frank had some concern about customers following, but that didn’t last long.
“People just gravitated to us,” he said.
Rulli’s took its concept of a service deli counter and a large variety of produce and brought it to the new location on South Avenue near Mathews Road in 1971.
When the location first opened, it was 7,500 square feet, but it was so busy that Frank and Louise had to expand to 16,000 square feet.
“Most of our old customers still came, but the whole surrounding community also came.” Louise said.
In 1988, the Austintown Rulli Bros. location was added because customers were asking for it.
“We felt we were so busy that it warranted going to the other side of town,” Louise said.
In the mid-2000s, the Rullis decided to build a new Boardman location. Their son, Frank Jr., an architect, designed their store at 8025 South Ave. The location was built in 2008 and opened in March 2009.
“It has been a great addition,” Louise said.
Inside the store, pictures along the wall tell the history of Rulli’s. There’s Nicola with the garden and his children, a bustling downtown scene and Rulli’s purchasing livestock from 4-H at the Canfield Fair, which is still done today.
“I think [Nicola and Frank] would be happy that we carried on the legacy,” Frank said.
Frank and Louise’s four sons all take part in the business. Frank Jr. is the architect who also helps run the deli at times. Nicola is an attorney in California, but he helps when needed. Michael and Mark are involved in the day-to-day operations at Rulli Bros.
“We have the fourth generation coming up,” Louise said.
Ethan Rulli, Frank and Louise’s grandson, does the advertisem*nts for the business. Their granddaughter, Hayden Rulli, at age 10 already is ready to work the register when the time comes.
The Rulli family is already prepared for another 100 years. Louise credits her husband for the continued success. He knows what people want, he knows when it will be fresh and how much to order because of his experience in the business.
“There’s nothing like experience,” she said.
