When my grandfather Guiseppe started the business, his inventory was brought in every morning and sold at the end of every day. A fish monger with a dream, he pushed his products through the streets of Philadelphia, working long days and nights catering to his customers. Guiseppe learned the ways of business in America, and as his business grew, so did his family. Guiseppe, his wife Concetta, and his four children, all worked hard together. As the profits grew, “Mr. Joe” as the customers called him, began to improve his company. A horse and wagon followed the push cart, and the wagon grew larger handling a varied selection and greater quantities. He not only was able to buy better with the increased sales, but was able to better service his customers by buying another horse and wagon for quicker deliveries. Two horses became three, and the wagons became the latest in modern technology, the truck. My mother Rose, being the oldest child, managed Guiseppe’s first store on 13th and Dickinson. As my grandfather developed the streets, his daughter developed the walk-in trade at the store. Slowly, Mr. Joe began to see the true potential of expansion. At the young age of 13, Rose was able to buy and sell for her father, eventually running the business at the corner store. As the business prospered and grew in the 40′s and 50′s, again so did our family. We all helped with the work, no one was exempt. All of our cousins, uncles and aunts were deputized at Christmas, and that’s where I come in. As a young boy in the 60′s, the fish were like toys to me. When my mom was at work, I would try to guess what fish were on display. With all the different colors and shapes, “Fisher Price” had nothing on Ippolitos. I loved being in the store, and my grandfather knew it. He developed a relationship with his grandson as he did his business, with love and patience. After losing his only son, I became the heir apparent being the only son of his eldest daughter. School didn’t interest me. Fish was the business I wanted to be in and I followed my dreams. As fish consumption grew in the U.S., I knew I was in the right place at the right time. We began to see many different species coming to of our corner store. As my selection grew, so did our customer base. Restaurants would come to us for their needs. In 1974, Guiseppe retired and moved back to Sicily, Italy. I graduated Central High School and finished my education at Ippolito’s Seafood, later managing the business for my mother. By 1989 we were busting out all over and we decided to start another separate company, ‘Samuels and Son Seafood’. This new company would concentrate on the wholesale business and Ippolitos continued its success in the retail trade. My father Sam was in sales at the time, so I asked him to join with me and train our sales team. My wife Donna, always at my side, sacrificed a lot to make it work. We raised a family of four children and still managed to grow the business further. My mom and grandfather both passed away, but we still continued to run both businesses and we grew. Samuel D’Angelo
When my grandfather Guiseppe started the business, his inventory was brought in every morning and sold at the end of every day. A fish monger with a dream, he pushed his products through the streets of Philadelphia, working long days and nights catering to his customers. Guiseppe learned the ways of business in America, and as his business grew, so did his family. Guiseppe, his wife Concetta, and his four children, all worked hard together. As the profits grew, “Mr. Joe” as the customers called him, began to improve his company. A horse and wagon followed the push cart, and the wagon grew larger handling a varied selection and greater quantities. He not only was able to buy better with the increased sales, but was able to better service his customers by buying another horse and wagon for quicker deliveries. Two horses became three, and the wagons became the latest in modern technology, the truck. My mother Rose, being the oldest child, managed Guiseppe’s first store on 13th and Dickinson. As my grandfather developed the streets, his daughter developed the walk-in trade at the store. Slowly, Mr. Joe began to see the true potential of expansion. At the young age of 13, Rose was able to buy and sell for her father, eventually running the business at the corner store. As the business prospered and grew in the 40′s and 50′s, again so did our family. We all helped with the work, no one was exempt. All of our cousins, uncles and aunts were deputized at Christmas, and that’s where I come in. As a young boy in the 60′s, the fish were like toys to me. When my mom was at work, I would try to guess what fish were on display. With all the different colors and shapes, “Fisher Price” had nothing on Ippolitos. I loved being in the store, and my grandfather knew it. He developed a relationship with his grandson as he did his business, with love and patience. After losing his only son, I became the heir apparent being the only son of his eldest daughter. School didn’t interest me. Fish was the business I wanted to be in and I followed my dreams. As fish consumption grew in the U.S., I knew I was in the right place at the right time. We began to see many different species coming to of our corner store. As my selection grew, so did our customer base. Restaurants would come to us for their needs. In 1974, Guiseppe retired and moved back to Sicily, Italy. I graduated Central High School and finished my education at Ippolito’s Seafood, later managing the business for my mother. By 1989 we were busting out all over and we decided to start another separate company, ‘Samuels and Son Seafood’. This new company would concentrate on the wholesale business and Ippolitos continued its success in the retail trade. My father Sam was in sales at the time, so I asked him to join with me and train our sales team. My wife Donna, always at my side, sacrificed a lot to make it work. We raised a family of four children and still managed to grow the business further. My mom and grandfather both passed away, but we still continued to run both businesses and we grew. Samuel D’Angelo
Founded by William Novick in 1924 as a purveyor of fresh produce, Novick Brothers Corp has evolved to provide a broad line of products and services for our area's independent institutions, childcare centers, distinctive caterers and fine restaurants alike. Over the past 3 years, we have also built The Novick Family Urban Farm as our non-profit initiative to turn over 1.5 acres of formerly unused land into a thriving farm. We are growing food to feed the underprivileged in our community, while offering an educational venue in which to teach children, teens, and their educators about farming, agriculture, horticulture, nutrition, whole food and many other food- related topics.
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We embody Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: the gritty city of brotherly love that declared our country’s Independence; comprised of blue-collar working-class families; and the most die-hard, passionate sports fans in the world! We are PHILLTHY FOR LIFE™! We were raised to embrace the Broad Street Bullies and Buddy’s Bounty Hunters, where class was taught by Dr. J and Moses. Our memories were constructed by individuals named The Hammer and Nails, and were held together by Jaws and strips of black electrical tape. We know the true Wild Thing didn’t star in Major League, but at a place called The Vet. Others might call our city “Philthadelphia,” but not to be outdone, we ranked our beloved city filthier than any other in the country in a recent poll. Yes, we here at Phillthies™, like you other denizens of Phillthy Nation™, take pride in our city’s rugged backbone. For we are not like our neighbors – corporate, soulless, and sold-out like A-Rod’s New York; or gifted in gamesmanship and graft like Belichek’s Boston. Unlike the Cowboys, Yankees or Lakers, the only bandwagon that will carry our teams is named Mummers and comes loud, proud, and struttin’ down Broad Street every year! We are the hard-hitting and industrious city of Rocky and Dawkins whose fault, if any, is that we care too much for our teams and our players. While we may have personally endured the Kotite era, 14 years under Braves dominance, way too many seasons with Lindross, and a cumulative 100 seasons without a title in our four professional teams from 1983 to 2008 – we also feel the collective pain of having the first franchise to reach 10,000 losses in a near century. Yet, we persist: we keep Fightin’ like Frazier, Scrambling like Randall, and Enduring like Iverson because we know our Flying Hawaiian sun will rise again. We are Phillthy for Life™; we are The Phillthies™!