[This story first appeared on Boston Restaurant Talk.]
A beloved market whose roots date back more than 100 years is shutting down.
According to a source, Russo's in Watertown is closing, with a Facebook post from the Pleasant Street business confirming this, saying that "After more than 70 years working for the family business, Tony Russo is retiring. Our business will close this fall. It has been Tony's privilege to serve our many wholesale and retail customers for seven decades."
Russo's, which started out as a small farm in the early 1900s, is known in part for its extensive selection of produce along with its meats, dairy products, baked goods and pastries, and flowers and Christmas trees--and it also is a wholesaler to local businesses, including restaurants.
The address for Russo's is 560 Pleasant Street, Watertown, MA, 02472. Its website can be found at https://russos.com/
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
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A jewel in a sea of big box stores and online shopping, the joy of perusing the colorful aisles at Russo's is shared by its employees and customers alike.
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"The beauty of all the vegetables and the flowers and the people who work here, who are absolutely lovely," Elaine Landes of Newton said.
Long before he was the star of Tony's Tips on social media, Tony Russo started on the farm at age 10 beside his grandparents. And longtime customers like Pasquale Dicicco of Brighton remember when Tony sold produce at the family's farm stand in the 70s and 80s.
"He was on Lexington Street in a house," Dicicco said. "He sold fruit in a stage and wagon."
His employees say they will miss him, the customers and their coworkers, who were like family here.
"He always was there for us, helping us, trying to do as much as he can," said Mayra Acosta, who works in Russo's bakery. "It's really heartbreaking for me leaving this place."
Tony and the Russo family say they can't say much yet about what the future holds, but they will miss their employees, customers, growers and suppliers.
