Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Pistoresi has big plans for the Cheesemonger

Posted

Local businessman John Pistoresi has purchased the Leavenworth staple, the Cheesemonger, from Dave and Barb Hambleton, who have propelled the shop to great heights over the past 10 years. 

Pistoresi, who previously owned a beer and wine distributorship, watched the Cheesemonger grow and prosper over the years. 

“With their passion and customer service, they fit right into the community really quickly,” Pistoresi said. “They grew the business by grass roots. I watched it happen. I would bump into them over the years, and ask if they were ready to sell. I always had my eye on it.”

The Cheesemonger is one of the gems of Leavenworth, Pistoresi said, 

“You think of some of the gems, Visconti’s, Icicle Brewery, places that have had longevity and people seek,” Pistoresi said. “The Cheesemonger is among those. They are rated high on Yelp. They have kind of a cult following. If you were to bring this store to west Seattle, it would be known. They ship to Boston, to New York.”

Cheesemonger has a nice following and Pistoresi wants to keep that. He wants to expand the business to local residents, such as a local discount or home delivery, for a graduation party, Oktoberfest or holiday party. 

“We’ll build you a beautiful platter, maybe some smoked salmon on there, and we’ll deliver that,” he said. “I realize, by parking here and living here, it can really be challenging. Up and down the sidewalk, can you find a local shopping? Probably not. I want to find a way to get ahold of the local and find a module that works for them.”

A couple weeks before taking over, Pistoresi was thinking about landmark businesses. One business that stuck in his mind was Glondo’s Sausage Company and Italian Market in Cle Elum. 

“It’s a family Italian market that anybody would know. People stop there on the way to Chelan and grab what they need on the way home,” he said. “I went and met with Charlie and his daughter. I’ll be featuring their cured meats. I’m looking for people who are able to expand with their products. I also want to bring in a lot of our local businesses. I haven’t knocked on their door yet.”

With his expertise in wine and beer, Pistoresi is focusing on boosting that aspect of the shop. With all the wine tasting shops in town, he knows that’s a sensitive area. With his contacts in the wine industry, he said he’ll find what category is hot right now and go for it. 

“I talked about wines I think would do good here, regional wines, local wines. People are coming here to buy local. Get something from Leavenworth to take home. We want to keep in mind our local wineries. We’re going to support them,” he said. “A lot of these wines may not be priced right for our purchaser. There are wines at Costco that are $8 to $15 bottles of wine, but they drink like $30 bottles of wine. I want to identify those and get them in. It’s a better wine than where it is priced. I think that will be key. I don’t think I’ll be following the upper high level wines.”

Wine and beer aside, selling cheese is 80 percent of the business. He feels they can do even better with more advertising, home deliveries, shipping, developing the website and Facebook page. Getting locals to shop there is huge. 

“Before the customer gets down the stairs, they are being greeted with a cheese sample. The staff has been trained to be friendly. That will hold true. We’re going to cater to the customer,” Pistoresi said. “The cheese is good, fresh. It’s all rotated in. I’m huge on rotation freshness. In the beer and wine business, you had to wear a different hat for each customer and always smile. Cater to your customers and giving them a good product.”

Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here