Mastrorocco's Market, a family grocery store in Derry Borough, is nearing the end of its 100-plus years as a staple of the small town's business community.
Vince Mastrorocco, the fourth generation of the Derry family to operate the market since 1910, confirmed this week it is set to close as declining sales no longer sustain the business, and he has been unable to find a buyer.
Word of the supermarket's planned closing began to spread late last week. Mastrorocco confirmed he has stopped taking shipments of new merchandise and intends to shutter the First Avenue store once existing inventory is sold.
He said he reached his decision after a recent downturn in sales combined with a longer-term population decline and loss of jobs in the community, dating to the closure of the Industrial Ceramics plant in 1995. The borough population dropped from just under 3,000 in 2000 to fewer than 2,700 in 2010.
“It's been a struggle. We haven't really seen growth in our town for years,” he said.
Recent replacement of the bridge carrying the town's main artery — Route 217 — over the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks brought traffic challenges and coincided with a nearly 24 percent drop in the supermarket's sales, Mastrorocco said.
“It's not all the bridge's fault,” he said. “I expected sales to come back as they always did in the past any time we had a change in competition or road issues. I gave myself until January, two months after the bridge reopened. Since then, it's actually gone down.”
With the market's closure, Derry residents will have to travel to Latrobe or Blairsville to find the closest grocery store.
As of Monday, Mastrorocco's weekday closing time moved from 9 p.m. to 7 p.m. with produce and fresh meat sold out. Limited deli and dairy items were available.
“We're losing our legacy grocery store, and I feel bad for everyone who works there and Vince himself,” said Chad Fabian, Derry Council president. “There's not much council or anybody can do except wish him the best.”
The imminent closure will affect 34 employees, including three of the owner's children. Derry was a booming railroad town when Mastrorocco's great-grandfather, Italian immigrant Samuel Mastrorocco, began the family business. The store expanded twice over the years.
Vince Mastrorocco wasn't sure what may lie ahead for his family. Though the supply at the market was gone by Monday, he said he would like to continue selling homemade sausage prepared according to a century-old recipe that has become a favorite with Derry residents.
“It's kind of like Steelers Nation,” he said of the product's spreading popularity. “We've shipped it to other states, and there were times when people would come home to visit their parents and they'd take 10 pounds with them.”
Mastrorocco said he wants to remain involved with the Derry Area Revitalization Corporation, a group intent on beautification of the community and promotion of its economy.
“I still believe in this town,” he said. “If we get jobs, the town will pop. I still live in the community. I think it's a great place to raise kids.”
Fabian is among Derry officials who hope the former Industrial Ceramics plant, leveled and reclaimed with the help of the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority, will attract new business to help reverse the trend of local job loss.
He noted Mastrorocco's is “one of the bigger employers in town. We're going to lose that 1 percent local (wage) tax. It's kind of like an extra blow to Derry Borough's budget.”
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622 or jhimler@tribweb.com.
