Caruso's Market closes in Chestnut Hill

It was a boutique grocery that specialized in quality meats and produce, and that anchored the Chestnut Hill shopping strip for nearly a century.

Last month, Caruso's Market, 8418-24 Germantown Ave., closed abruptly, leaving many residents recalling bygone days of personal service and a family-friendly atmosphere, and wondering what will become of the property.

Fran O'Donnell, head of the Chestnut Hill Business Association, lamented the loss.

"I think the closing brought great concern to the community as far as being a fixture there, but also as a necessity," O'Donnell said. "It's not like another retailer. This is servicing what you put on your table."

Ellen Maher, 78, who has lived most of her life in Chestnut Hill, was a regular shopper there for decades.

"It was always a very nice market," Maher said. "They did delivery service. It was an alternative to the supermarket. My husband and I always walked to Caruso's."

Residents said the store's windows were covered with brown paper on the night of Sept. 15 and a sign posted that read, "Closed for repairs." A day later the sign was replaced with one saying, "Sorry for the inconvenience. Reopening soon."

The next day the sign was changed to "Sorry for the inconvenience. Closed until further notice."

CMS Cos., an investment company in Wynnewood, issued a statement saying that John Capoferri, the market's operator, "had terminated the Caruso's Market lease," making way for a CMS affiliate to take control of the property.

Capoferri did not respond to several phone messages left for him.

Capoferri bought the 10,000-square-foot building in the spring.

The market was operated for decades by the Marano family, owners of a South Philadelphia pasta business, said Joe Marano, who operates Marano's Fort Washington Garden Mart.

Marano said Caruso was the name of relatives who opened the market in the early 1900s.

"Despite attempts over the prior several weeks to work with Mr. Capoferri to help restructure his financial obligations at the property, we concluded it was in our investors' best interest to take control of the building," said Richard T. Aljian, a CMS official.

He also said the company was preparing the building for "re-leasing, with a grocery-store concept remaining a potential strategy."

O'Donnell said residents want another grocery at the site.

"I think in a community like this, there has to be an outreach to make sure that it stays just the same use," O'Donnell said. "Whether it's Caruso's or not, we want it to still be a food market."

Paul Dodge, owner of the French Bakery on Germantown Avenue, said the closure was a major blow to the community.

"So many older people really rely on the local businesses," Dodge said. "A loss like this is devastating. Who can open a grocery store?"

Dodge said that at the holidays, customers would flock to the store.

"On Thanksgiving they had hundreds of turkey orders," he said. "Caruso's Market was like a dinosaur in many ways."

Philip LeCalsey, an official of the Chestnut Hill Community Association, said that many in the neighborhood want the market to be replaced by one similar to Caruso's.

"Having a neighborhood grocery for such a long time . . . has been a big asset to Chestnut Hill residents," LeCalsey said.

He said he had been a regular customer at Caruso's.

"I was in there usually twice a day, getting coffee in the morning and getting lunch," he said.

Marie Chiodo, who has lived in Chestnut Hill for more than 50 years, worried about the future of the store.

"It was very convenient," Chiodo said. "Now, who knows what's going to happen? I hope they come back and reopen."

Standing outside the store with her infant daughter, Tessa, in a stroller, Katie Maier, a Chestnut Hill resident for about 31/2 years, also regretted the closing.

"I think it's a shame that it closed. There is nowhere else here where I can go to get a few things," Maier said. "I was here last week and ordered a roast. They said the butcher was going to call me, and the next day they were shut."