....................480 Adams Street, Suite #208, Milton Massachusetts, USA • 617.696.7758
 
 
 
 

New Owners Bring
a Touch of Family
to Tedeschi’s Store

By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
7/26/10
Convenience stores don’t often feel like home.

Simply, they serve as quick, easy spots to pick up a few items or get the newspaper. Hence their name: Convenience.

However, under new ownership, Tedeschi Food Shops on Houston Avenue does not feel like just another cookie-cutter in a chain.

The new owners are putting a more personal, local touch on their store.

“I want this to belong to the neighborhood. I want people to look forward to coming in, and not just come because they need to pick up a few things,” said Linda Roberts.

Linda and her husband, Richard Borrelli, recently took over operation of the shop at 98 Houston Ave. They arrived on the South Shore back in March, after each had their own business in the Carolinas. Roberts ran a retail hardware store for 26 years and Borrelli started a cast stone company.

Together, they went into the land-development business, where they worked until three years ago, when Borrelli was injured in a car accident.

“I broke my back and tore my spinal cord,” said Borrelli, explaining that family eventually brought him back to the South Shore.

Once Borrelli recuperated, the couple considered its next move. Having other family members involved in the Tedeschi franchise, they saw it as the right fit for them.

Borrelli said they considered several locations to establish their business but chose Milton.

“This was the only family store. Everything else was commercial,” he said.

Borrelli and Roberts live in Cohasset but are looking for a place in Milton to be closer to their store. They are looking to get involved in the community, by sponsoring local youth sports teams. They have already made their presence felt, sponsoring events such as the recent M.A.D. Scramble Road Race, which is run in memory of Michael Devin, a Milton detective who died in a car accident.

“We haven’t met a client we don’t like,” said Borrelli.

Since the couple has taken over the business, the store has undergone a makeover. Both inside and out, the shop looks more sleek and inviting. Roberts said they plan to decorate the interior of the store with historic photos of Milton.

“We’re always open to suggestions,” she said.

Both Borrelli and Roberts credit the Tedeschi franchise for “truly having a desire to give back.”

They want their store to be part of an “extended family.”

“We’re really excited about this,” said Borrelli.