Store Banks on Specialty Items
By Matt Pais, Asbury Park Press, N.J.
Jun. 8–LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP — Equal parts deli, gourmet-food market and catering business, Pinziminio Marketplace stands out in a world increasingly populated by franchise food retailers.
Its inventory spans a wide range of specialty items, all aimed at satisfying the increasingly affluent population of Long Beach Island. There are stacks of fine olive oils, more than 70 varieties of cheese, stuffed olives and organic chips.
“The island is loaded with surf shacks, and we wanted to be different. We wanted to cater to a customer who expects nicer things,” said co-owner Jim DeGilio. DeGilio, 50, previously owned upscale markets in Evesham and Mount Laurel. While the idea of offering artisan breads and gourmet sandwiches might be novel on Long Beach Island, it’s a concept that has proved successful in most urban areas, he said.
A survey of the large beachfront homes, clothing boutiques and other businesses led DeGilio to the conclusion that an island location would be a success. He joined forces with Karen Spinelli, a 44-year-old restaurateur who previously ran a restaurant named Pinziminio and another named Cafe Bacio, both in Beach Haven.
“We decided to mold the two,” DeGilio said, of his and Spinelli’s business experience.
Spinelli makes much of the shop’s inventory herself in an on-site kitchen. She said being able to offer homemade products is essential to appealing to customers.
“Unless you’re cooking it yourself, you’re not getting anything that’s any fresher on the island,” she said.
The shop also offers a catering service that provides everything from take-out antipasto platters to full-service weddings.
Many of the ready-made and packaged products have developed a following among customers, who often prefer marinated steaks and already-cut fresh fruit to their unprepared counterparts. The reason, DeGilio said, is that most people vacationing in the area would rather maximize their leisure time than stretch a dollar.
“The customer here is looking for anything al-ready prepared, something quick,” he said. “People can come in, buy something and throw it right on the grill.”
Spinelli said she noticed a market for a high-end emporium when she came to the area 12 years ago.
“I think that our customers, where they live (year-round), there’s either Whole Foods or a Wegmans, something like that, and when they come down here to the island, there’s no place like that,” she said.
The arrival of the marketplace last summer continues a trend of upscale businesses opening on LBI, said Southern Ocean Chamber of Commerce Director Rick Reynolds. “There has been a change in the demographics over the years, places that were smaller rental units were torn down and rebuilt (larger),” he said.
Reynolds said the market courted by Pinziminio is the same that has drawn several Zagat-rated restaurants and high-end bed-and-breakfasts to the area in recent years.
“There’s a strong demand for that upscale and unique business,” he said.
While Spinelli and DeGilio hope to meet that demand, they also want to meet a need for personal service that shoppers are unlikely to receive at an ordinary supermarket.
“We know our customers, we know their names and what they like and what they don’t like,” DeGilio said. “When’s the last time you walked into a food store and someone asked you how the pineapple you bought last week tasted?”
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