West Side Market Continues To Give To The Rocky Hill Community and Customers Show Their Loyalty

Lou Romeo Sr. made his way in the world as a butcher and meat cutter. He also worked as a meat manager for a large wholesaler.

So it is only natural that Romeo's West Side Market on the Route 3 is known for its full butcher shop.

"People come from all over to buy meats at West Side Market," said Chris Romeo, Lou Romeo's son-in-law, who now runs the store with Lou Romeo Jr. "Lou Sr. came from that background and we are all proud of the butcher shop that we have here. We have the meat laid in the case for customers to see. If they want us to cut a piece of meat a certain way we take it in the back and cut it to order. We're really proud of our customer service."

Lou Romeo Sr. worked in many different jobs before finding a a struggling grocery store at 345 Cromwell Ave., currently the home of Ace Hardware. He decided to buy the store from the former owner and put his family to work.The store moved to its current location, 887 Cromwell Ave. 14 years ago. Business has never been better.

"It's been since 1980 since we started and we've been here for 14 years," Chris Romeo said. "We have had kids start working in high school and continue through college and now they are shopping with their own families."

Lou Romeo Sr. has a simple philosophy when it comes to the store and its customers.

"We believe it is at the store level, at every contact with our customers that we must earn our reputation for Quality and Service Everyday," he said. "It's doing all the little things right that makes all the difference when you shop at West Side Marketplace."

Chris Romeo said he sees lot of familiar faces when he's working.

"We have people who have been our customers for 33 years and have never left us," Chris Romeo said. "They come here so they don't get lost in the big box stores. They know what they want and where it will be. They know they are going to get a quality product and they know that we are very competitive in our pricing. Some think they'll go to a big box store and get the same product for a cheaper price. The truth is we give the customers a better product at almost the same price."

Chris Romeo said one thing that has taken off is the store preparing food for special occasions.

"We don't deliver or set up the food but we have a kitchen in back and we prepare food for all kinds of occasions," Chris Romeo said. "We have all kinds of food that we can make. We also have them for lunch and dinner available at the store and we have a large salad bar. Our lunch business is pretty brisk."

One of the biggest sources of pride for the Romeo family is how much they give back to the Rocky Hill community a well as the surrounding towns.

"Lou really loves his loyal customers and the fact that Rocky Hill has helped us and supported us so it's part of our mission to give back to the community," Chris Romeo said. "We give to the Parks and Rec. Dept., Rocky Hill baseball, soccer, football and other sports teams and benefits. We also helped out with the Law Enforcement Torch Run benefiting Special Olympics."