As you all know Frankie Rufa passed away this October. With his passing my mother will be closing the store Dec 31st. She will turn the key one last time and the tri-town area will forever have many memories of the ma and pop store. After 50 years we all have many stories to tell about Frankie, Edna, and Peggy. Please share your story and pictures of the famous Rufa’s store. Throughout my (Nicole) life we moved a few times and so did my grandparents on both sides. So the only thing that was always the same was the store. I knew where the spices were kept, or the manoyanise, and the cookies, even the ice cream . Nothing changed in that place not even the paint color! Remember the chatter of people stopping by and telling stories or the daily gossip? I do, I can remember a lot of people from this community that would stop by and chat with Peggy and Frankie (sometime just to harass Frankie).
Rufa’s store wasn’t just a huge part of my life or my family’s life it was a part of the lives of everyone in the community. I know grandparents, parents, grandkids, great grandkids have all entered those doors. If you could share a story or two about Rufa’s that will always stick in your memeories.
Most people have retirement parties but for Peggy we are going to show her this page. We will also collect these stories and pictures and create a picture book for her to have. We are reaching out to the community to make this book as special as possible to show her the impact that wonderful business had on all of our lives.
Thanks
The Cook and Rufa family
