Stephen Pileggi
Block Project Story
Venturing down to the Italian Market for the first time is quite an experience, particularly
because of its unique style. The venue is the nation’s oldest open-air market.
While we are accustomed to the frigid temperatures (and sometimes personalities) so
often present in local supermarkets, the Italian Market offers an entirely new way to shop for
food. Vendors are actively trying to sell their fresh products and one is always greeted with a
smile.
“Food, fun, and family – that’s it, that’s all it’s about,” says Di Bruno Bros. cheese
monger Dan Black amid the chaos of the lunch hour rush. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had in my
life. I mean, what’s not to love? I get paid to eat food and tell people what I think about it.
Nothing makes people happier than food.”
“I went down to the Italian Market Festival a few years ago with some friends and had a
really great time. I sampled some meats and cheeses that I had never even heard of. I would
definitely go back again,” Temple University sophomore John Lee said with a mouthful of his
cheesesteak sandwich.
“It’s such a great experience every time I go into Di Bruno’s. The guys behind the
counter really know their stuff. Sure, it’s a little pricey, but it’s completely worth it,” Scott
Gardner said while waiting for his order of prosciutto and Dallenwiler cheese.
One of the cornerstones of the Italian Market is Di Bruno Bros. and one would be remiss
if they were not enamored by the smells of freshly cut cheeses and meats imported from across
the globe.
Nestled on the corner of the 900 block of South 9th St. in the Bella Vista neighborhood of
South Philadelphia, Di Bruno Bros. was the brainchild of Danny Di Bruno and his brother Joe Di
Bruno after their family arrived in Philadelphia from Italy. Their dream of opening a grocery
store in the Italian Market became a reality when they opened up for business in 1939.
After 25 years of serving the neighborhood, Danny and Joe realized that the emergence
of chain supermarkets would soon put their humble operation out of business. Soon after, Danny
went on vacation to Switzerland with leisure in mind, but returned with inspiration.
Their new focus became selling the finest and highest quality local and imported meats,
cheeses, and cooking products. Owner Emilio Mignucci elaborates on that mentality.
“My grandfather [Danny] used to tell me, ‘If you give these people and show them the
best possible quality product, they will get it. Yeah, they might think it’s a little bit expensive in
the beginning, but they will realize how much better that is than something that’s cheaper,’”
Mignucci explained.
In 1990, after over 50 years of successful ownership, Danny and Joe’s family encouraged
them to consider selling the business. With Mignucci’s degree in culinary arts and his cousin Bill
having a business degree from Drexel University, the cousins were ready to take the reins.
“When they were going to retire, my cousin came to me and said, ‘Grandpop wants to
sell the business. You think it’s something that we could do? You have the food background and
I’ve got the business background. Let’s see if we can give it a go,’” Mignucci said. “They
worked all their lives and gave their lives to the business to help build a foundation for our
family, so we couldn’t see it just go.”
After a brief pause, Mignucci bowed his head, and with a smile and a chuckle that he
simply could not contain, he recalled a fond memory between himself and his grandfather.
“I’ll never forget it, but when they finally let go of the keys, the last thing that my
grandfather said when he was walking out the door was, ‘Remember: these people don’t have to
shop in this store…they choose to come here. If you want to keep them coming back, you need
to give them an experience and show them a good time, and a smile doesn’t cost you anything,’”
Mignucci explained, periodically pounding his finger on the table for emphasis.
Besides Di Bruno Bros., Danny was instrumental in organizing the Italian Market
Festival, an annual weekend affair that celebrates the Italian culture.
“All throughout the year in Italy, there are festivals based on saints. What [Danny and the
other vendors] had decided was that they had people from all over Italy [as part of the Italian
Market], so let’s just have a feast day for all the saints.”
Unfortunately, the festival came to a crashing halt and stayed dormant for nearly 15 years
when the city decided to renovate the streets along the Italian Market.
“It was a disaster. A lot of businesses wound up closing and the festival just kind of
disappeared,” Mignucci said.
However, Mignucci remembered the fond memories associated with the festival and in
2004, with the help of sponsors and several other businesses along the Italian Market strip, he
was able to successfully revive the annual tradition that his grandfather put into action.
Besides the 9th St. location, under the guidance of Mignucci and his cousins, Di Bruno
Bros. has opened three additional retail locations at the Comcast Building in Center City, 1730
Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, and the Ardmore Farmer’s Market, and also features a
thriving web-based business. According to Mignucci, expanding the business means providing
staff with greater opportunities.
“When you have such a good, strong bench of employees that are so dedicated and are so
ingrained in the culture that you created, you need to find an opportunity for them or you will
lose them, and to lose them doesn’t do them any favors nor does it help your business. When we
have so many people that we’re busting at the seams with all this talent, that’s when we [look to
expand].”
Danny and Joe left Italy having only third grade educations, but Mignucci believes that it
wasn’t about book smarts but rather street smarts that led to the initial success of Di Bruno Bros.
“They really understood – interestingly enough with very minimal schooling – the
psychology of people: if you treat them well, they’re going to keep coming back. It’s less about
the product and more about the people,” Mignucci said.
There is absolutely no doubt that Mignucci and his cousins learned a valuable lesson
from Danny and Joe and continue to carry on the tradition of providing exceptional customer
service and the finest products to the customers that have made their business thrive for over 70
years.
“We never have to lie about anything. We don’t make up a story; we just say this is what
it is. That’s the reality of what retailing is and should be. That’s why it’s about the people: the
people create loyalty. The culture is what Di Bruno’s is.”