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Business & Tech

Meet Nick Demos: Owner of the Northford Store

Northford's local grocer and cafe owner, Nick Demos, talks business and running for office with Patch.

North Branford Patch: How long have you owned the ?

Nick Demos: I acquired it in 2003. It was owned by Paul Hintz, who owned it for 30 years, and they purchased it from his wife's parents. So it was a generational thing.

North Branford Patch: How does one come to own their own grocery store?

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Demos: I had gone back to school and, after graduation, I was looking for a business to buy. I didn't want to get back into the corporate world, which basically was my background since 1981. It was actually a toss-up between the grocery store, which I had never gotten into before, and a graphics art company in New Hampshire. As luck would have it and what with the proximity to my home, I opted to buy the Northford Store.

North Branford Patch:
Did the grocery store come with the ?

Demos: No, that's only been around the past year. 

North Branford Patch:
Are you from North Branford?

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Demos: I was born and raised in Cheshire, now I live in Northford.

North Branford Patch:
What's the best part of the job?

Demos: Just dealing with the customers on a personal level, something they generally can't get from the bigger stores. We know them by name and what they like to eat, when we give them a recommendation, we really mean it. We want our customers to be happy.

North Branford Patch:
What is the most challenging part of your job?

Demos: To be honest, probably the hours, they're extensive. It's a 12-hour day anyways. There's a lot of work that goes on behind the scene. 

North Branford Patch:
There's a lot of farms in the area. Do you buy from them?

Demos: I buy what I can from the local farmers. You buy from the local people and they buy from you. It just makes sense, it’s not rocket science. 

North Branford Patch:
What do you do in your down time?

Demos: I don't usually hang out a whole lot, but I play golf at a local golf course in the summer.

North Branford Patch:
Why did you decide to ?

Demos: This town needs local business owners on the Town Council to be able to give a business perspective and have a little more knowledge in the running of the town, which is a business. I would be able to offer the expertise in the town I do business and live in and we'll try again in two years.

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