Server Not Servant

Boston ‘Mom and Pop’ Shops-Chapter 3: Olive Connection Brookline, MA

By: Patrick Maguire

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 03/9/2016

This series, introduced in a blog post on 1/30/16, celebrates ‘Mom and Pop’ shops in the Boston area, and soon beyond. These blog posts are dedicated to owners of restaurants and small businesses who respond to a questionnaire designed to capture their experiences of owning, working, and operating a business together.

All italicized comments were furnished by the owners of the business.

Olive Connection, at 1426 Beacon Street in Brookline, MA, is a retail specialty food store with olive oils and vinegars from around the world along with everything associated with olives.  We specialize in the tastes and flavors of food, and customers can taste and select what they enjoy. With great ingredients one can make a simple meal delicious. We want our customers to always find something new with seasonal products and new offerings.  Sometimes we’ll offer the unexpected for a wow experience. The store is owned and operated by the Sapoznik family of Brookline. (Husband and wife, Carol and Morry, and son, CJ)

Carol is the Big Cheese…the CFO-advertising.

Morry is the Salesman Extraordinaire and  janitor.

Charles (CJ) is the General Manager, keeps us in inventory, schedules all of us and the employees, and is the muscle in the schlepping of the packages, and salesman.  We all have our hand in selection of the products, but CJ is largely responsible for this area. 

Server Not Servant (SNS): Where did you grow up and how did you end up in Boston?

As a family we have lived in Brookline for 28 years.  CJ went to school in Brookline and Morry was an educator in the school system in Brookline before retiring.

SNS: Any education (or other) degrees, awards or certifications you care to share?

Carol is a retailer, graduated college with a retailing degree and had a 45 year professional career, 42 years at Crate & Barrel before retiring.  Managing store personnel and operations and merchandising  made up most of her experience.

Morry has a Masters in Education and was an assistant principal at Lawrence Elementary School in Brookline.

CJ has a culinary degree and has been working in restaurants and resorts in Colorado before moving back to Brookline.

SNS: Have you worked together before your current business?

We have never worked together as a family, so this is the first.  When we started our journey of exploration to plan, we said that at any time if one of the 3 of us did not want to do this we would not go ahead.  To be together in this venture was the point of it all. 

SNS: How many hours a week do each of you work?

We are open 7 days a week, and most times there are 2 of us together.  Occasionally, all 3 of us are there together but we all have our different roles.

SNS: Did anyone give you any advice before you started working together?

Yes- try to keep on schedule with business meetings.  And gave us a name of a shrink that specializes in business relationships.  We thought that was odd…and funny…at the time!  We have not called on him yet.

Do your homework before you start looking for a space.  We had lots of business advice from other small family business owners. 

SNS: How would you describe you’re working relationship?

Carol- Most of the time, 95% it is good.  There are the moments where it is shaky and we have to have a cooling off period.  I think I drive my family crazy. I talk too much and want to talk things through and that bugs them.  When I treat my son as a son and not a business partner he gets angry.  My fault.  I think he would say the same.

Morry- The business relationship works because of the solid relationship we have had  many years as a couple. You have to have trust  and enjoy each other’s company.

CJ always says we have to chill and take it one day at a time and not get too ahead of ourselves.  Take time to enjoy the success.

SNS: Is it harder or easier than you anticipated?

Not harder…we were realistic about what it takes.

SNS: What do you like the most about working together?

We are talking to each other every day about something…it is nice…short and sweet.  No surprises…keeping each other informed is key.

SNS: How have you avoided killing each other?

Carol- We need our space…and quiet…and being in the store by ourselves…too much togetherness is also not so good.  Give each person the freedom to do their work.

Morry- Keeping a sense of humor.  If that does not work…take a walk.

SNS: What do you rely on your partners to do in the shop that you’d hate doing?

Morry is the neat freak with cleanliness and keeps us all in line.  When he is gone for a few days we have to fill in and realize all he does.

SNS: What qualities do you value most in employees?

Morry- They have to be a good person, have a positive personality,  enjoy working with people.

Carol- They have to be fully engaged, and have ideas and love to help customers.

SNS: What do you enjoy doing most when you’re away from the business?

We all enjoy traveling, so we are taking trips this year to far away places, either together or separately…one person left behind to run the store.  The trips all involve food and finding new resources.  The food trade shows are one way but that is a given, we all need to share new ideas and what others are doing that we could learn and take back to the store.

 

SNS: Do you cook at home?

We all love to cook for recreation, entertain, experiment for new tastes.  Read cookbooks as novels. All our meetings revolve around the table eating and talking about food and sports. 

SNS: What are some of your favorite Boston area restaurants?

Locally in Brookline we love La Morra, Taberna de Haro, both of which we go to weekly.  Washington Square Tavern, Fairstead Kitchen, Pomodoro, just to name more favorites.  We love to try new spots.

SNS: Any dreams\fantasies about opening a restaurant completely different than your current shop?

We have to evolve our one location to have seasonal offerings, changes for interest, and keep our one-time customer coming back.  So we have to keep our head down and concentrate on making it better and better.  There is so much to do.  The gift business is huge and we are just tapping the surface. Social media, and how to connect to our customers and respect their privacy is tricky.

SNS: What characterizes your favorite type of customers?

We love all our customers and the diversity of Brookline and surrounding areas is a key to success.  Some beginning cooks, some developed chefs.  There is something for everyone.  The young children are lovers of food and enjoy tasting too. 

SNS: What are you most proud of about your shop?

That we have customers that like our stuff…that is the report card.  They think the environment is comfortable and warm and that we are friendly and helpful and appreciate them.  They have told us that. We have items they cannot find anywhere else. 

SNS: Any upcoming events you’d like to share?

We are partnering with our Greek Olive Oil producer for a Greek night on March 23rd.  We are also partnering with La Morra Restaurant and our Sicilian Olive Oil producer for a Sicilian night on April 5th.  We have free demonstrations every Friday with Sweet Rose Bakes and planning 4 Saturdays of how to make a great salad dressing.  And more to come…so education and having fun in the store is key.

SNS: Any advice for couples thinking about working together in a restaurant/small biz?

Morry- Make sure you enjoy the other person’s company, have a sense of humor, respect each other for what they can bring to the mix.  Trust them like a friend, not like a spouse or son.

Carol- This has brought us closer as a family…so what else would we be doing?…we are never bored, that’s for sure.

Keep asking yourself…are we still having fun?…because that is the point.  Being together, having fun, and not taking ourselves too seriously.  The mood of our family transfers to the customers and to our staff.  Make it light and keep laughing. 

Our customers want a local business to succeed…are always asking…how are you doing?

That is very rewarding.  Providing something unique is appreciated buy all.  It’s an exciting challenge.

————————————————————————————————————————–

If you’d like to participate in this series, please email Patrick@servernotservant.com. And please forward this blog post to ‘Mom and Pop’ Shop business owners who might enjoy sharing their stories. I’m also seeking a Boston media partner to share these posts. Thank you.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. No compensation was exchanged between Olive Connection and Patrick Maguire/Server Not Servant in exchange for publication of this post. Sharing of this post by Carol, Morry and CJ Sapoznik and affiliates via social media is anticipated but not required. Thank you.

Share this post

---

Permalink | Posted in Human-to-Human Service | No Comments »

Share this post