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17 | Friday, September 20, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com www.insidehalton.com www.insidehalton.com Stay Stay Connected! Connected! Friday, September 20,11, 2013 | 36 pages Thursday, September 2013 | 32 pages Publicationof ofMetroland MetrolandMedia MediaGroup Group AAPublication Connected to your community - $1.00 incl. tax Connected to your community - promotional feature Oakville Trafalgar store celebrates with new look Long Live Longo's SPECIAL EDITION above The new look Longo's Oakville Trafalgar store is a gleaming 47,000 square foot urban shopping experience. When the store opened in 1982 it was 20,000 square feet and surrounded by farmland. story Maureen Scott The Longo family along with their customers are celebrating a major milestone of over 30 years in business at the Oakville Trafalgar store and marking the occasion with a major renovation. The store at 338 Dundas Street East at Trafalgar has undergone an extreme makeover, with the addition of a Starbucks, Yogurty's, Morelli's Pharmacy and among other enhancements, the new "Kitchen," which is whipping up healthy take-home meals and made-to-order pizzas baked in their new stone oven. "We have taken the word chore out of shopping by providing customers with an elevated shopping experience," explains Rosanne Longo, chair of Longo's Family Charitable Foundation. "At our renovated Trafalgar location you will nd the same service and quality you have come to know, with all the added bells and whistles. It's all about listening to what our customers want and providing one-stop shopping." The bells and whistles include a fullservice meat department with two in-house butchers, an expanded bakery department now offering a selection of gluten-free and nut-free products, an on-staff chocolatier (nice job!), an enlarged grocery section which includes international foods, a gourmet olive oil and vinegar section and an in-store coffee bean roasting station. "Our customers have become more food savvy and our goal is to provide them with healthy recipes to inspire them to enjoy the food experience," says Rosanne. "It's about family and getting back to sharing meals around the table." When the Oakville location opened more than 30 years ago, it was a stand-alone grocery store surrounded by farmland. "There were no sewers here when we opened in 1982 and we had to bring in water three times a week," says Rosanne. "I was 12 when the Oakville Trafalgar store opened and worked as a deli girl. above (from left) Anthony Longo, Rosie Yeatman, Rosanne Longo, Joey Longo, Gus Longo, Jenny Longo, Carolyn Longo, Marie Iuglio and Mike Longo. opened in June, located at 469 Cornwall Road. Tony is one of about 20 people in the Longo family involved in the business. "My Mom is a Longo, so I am one of the nephews," says Tony. "We treat all of our team members and our customers like family. I love to talk with customers and nd out how their kids are doing. I live in Oakville and ran the Trafalgar store for 17 years and have been with the company 28 years, so I am well connected to the community." Asked to describe the secret behind the Longo's success, Tony replies; "Our core business has been produce--we offer exceptional quality and value. We also have an excellent meat offering and cater to the community. We're a classy-looking store with family values, excellent service and a value price proposition." The southeast Oakville store is the 26th Longo's in Ontario and the third full-service location in the town, including the Burloak and Trafalgar stores. We used to joke that when we opened the most exotic cheese we carried was Havarti. Now we offer over 300 different types of cheese from around the world and have two in-house Certi ed Cheese Masters in each store." Rosanne says she stills sees many of the same customers, 30 years later. "Now their children and grandchildren shop here. What hasn't changed is the loyalty of our customers. When we had our re-opening weekend, loyal customers were actually welcoming back our staff, saying, `welcome home'. It gave me goose bumps! Our customers are part of our family and we have always treated them like family." Eric Wood, the manager of the Longo's Trafalgar store is excited about his new and improved store. "This Oakville location carries a lot of local heritage. We are proud to be a part of the North Oakville neighbourhood," says Eric. Tony Indovina is the manager of the new Longo's store in south Oakville, which