The Passantino family are bringing three generations of experience in the grocery business to Leavenworth.
It began with the late Leonard Passantino, who in 1945 started a small produce stand in Independence Square in Independence, Mo. The produce stand soon grew into a meat market, which became a small grocery store and then a chain of small grocery stores in Independence.
Now, according to Leonard’s grandson Dante Passantino, the family owns a Sun Fresh grocery store in Independence and Country Mart stores in Clinton, Mo., Butler, Mo., and most recently Leavenworth.
Dante and his father, Rocky Passantino, bought the former Homeland grocery store at 1920 Spruce St. in Leavenworth. Dante said the building is undergoing renovations which he said he hopes will be done by Nov. 1. During that time, Passantino said the store will remain open.
“We looked at it for seven or eight months, and finally decided and got a plan together for what we wanted to do to the store,” he said.
Those plans include a “fresh, brand new look” for the inside of the store, including new refrigerators for frozen foods, meat and a new produce island.
There will also be changes to the floorplan of the store, Passantino said.
“We’re actually condensing the size of the store by about 10,000 square feet to better accommodate the amount of business we’ll be doing and make it easier for customers to shop so it’s not such a large showroom floor,” he said.
Jim Jones, general manager for the family’s stores, said Dante and Rocky also looked at the community to determine whether the store would be a good fit.
Although many Leavenworth residents commute to Kansas City to work, Jones said Leavenworth residents usually shop in Leavenworth, which he said reflected positively on the community.
In addition, Passantino said his family has never been forced to close a store, other than once to move into a larger adjacent facility. Jones said the family’s successful record should help the area.
“That’s important for here, for the stability of this community,” he said. “People can name so many stores that were in here,” he said.
Passantino said he is confident the building’s current incarnation can last.
“It’s going to be a Country Mart for a long, long time,” he said.
Passantino said part of his family’s success comes from being so close. He said he could point to several factors which makes working with family an advantage.
“Dependability, accountability and trust,” he said. “Knowing that if something goes wrong, you’ve got someone that their livelihood depends on the success of the business.”
Passantino said he includes the 78 employees of the Leavenworth store and the employees of all of the other stores as part of the “extended family.”
He said his family is also hoping to reach out to the Leavenworth community, having already donated items to the Leavenworth High School football team.
Passantino also discussed the possibility of moving an annual charity golf tournament, which this year raised $15,000 for the burn unit at Children’s Mercy Hospital, to Leavenworth.
Passantino said the benefits give the family a chance to give back to the community.
“I believe that if you give back, things will come back to you in return,” he said.
Leavenworth, Kan. —
