Community steps up for grocery store in Chicago's Hyde Park community after fire, financial struggle
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A grocery store in the Hyde Park neighborhood was shut down for months after a fire, and once it reopened, the owners struggled to keep products on the shelf.
But neighbors stepped up to put food back on the shelves—and kept the store afloat when so many Chicago businesses have struggled and have even been forced to close.
Hyde Park Produce, at 1226 E. 53rd St. in the Kimbark Plaza shopping center, has been owned and operated by the Damico family since 1996. That year, Lawrence "Yoyo" Damico and his son, Larry, took over the store from businessman John Frangias, who also owned the popular Salonica Restaurant on 57th Street.
Hyde Park Produce was originally located in a storefront about a block to the east at 1312 E. 53rd St., and moved to its current and vastly larger location in 2008.
"I love it. I love being involved," said Larry Damico. "My kids are involved. Ny wife's involved."
As documented by the Hyde Park Herald, Lawrence "Yoyo" Damico once delivered produce to the popular Mr. G's grocery store—which was located for many years in the very same Kimbark Plaza storefront that Hyde Park Produce now occupies.
"My father passed away three years ago, and he was here up until the day he died. He would come every day," said Larry Damico. "So it just means a lot to us."
So when Hyde Park Produce closed down for more than two months due to an electrical fire in April of last year, it was devastating.
"It was a lot of cleaning, emptying stuff out, throwing stuff out," Damico said. "It took a toll on us; been a long process getting things back together."
When Hyde Park Produce reopened, Damico had a hard time coming back to full service and paying his employees.
Damico took to social media to say the shop was struggling financially, but promised he was not giving up. That was when community members expressed their concerns of slim pickings of eggs and other essential items, and suggested ways to support the store.
"When Jo first told me she wanted to start a GoFundMe, I actually told her no, and I said, you know, I'm not that type of person," Damico said, "and she actually went ahead and did it anyway."
Jo is Hyde Parker Jo Reizner, who called Hyde Park Produce a community treasure in her GoFundMe.
"People said, 'What can we do to raise money?'" she said. "So there was a lot of interest in having some way to raise money, and so we started a GoFundMe—which was amazingly successful right off the bat."
Right off the bat, Reizner's GoFundMe raised $25,000 in one day.
"I was blown away. I had never done anything like this, and I had no idea what to expect," Reizner said, "and it was so heartening that people who had been talking about the fact that they wanted to do something actually did."
Damico was appreciative, to say the least.
"I love her for it, believe me," he said, "definitely."
Damico said the community fundraising effort not only showed the support of the neighborhood, but also let everyone know that Hyde Park Produce still standing.
The GoFundMe collection kept going, and was at nearly $57,000 as of Tuesday evening.