This photo is where Rick's story begins...

My grandfather, Anthony L. John, bought this property in 1928 and extended the first floor to open a small grocery business ­ John's Fruit Store. That was the beginning of my family's entry into the business world. They ran the store (the building is still a market and deli today) until the end of WWII when they retired. During the Great Depression and WWII, they built up a retail food business that was the leader in this Vermont community.

They accomplished this by earning people's trust and confidence, day after day, year after year. They worked hard ­ 7a.m. until midnight, 7 days a week ­ but they realized that it was a people business, not just a grocery store. What was important to them was how you treat people. Sounds like a simple philosophy by today's standards, but it served them well and has served me in my own business career. Family is people you care about and family is what's really important to me. That's why I treat everyone like family.

Photographer: Rev. Merrill C. Ward, taken 1890-1895. Photo courtesy of the Dana Sprague Collection, Brattleboro, VT.

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