Rizzuto ready to close his doors for final time

One of the mid-Monongahela Valley's oldest businesses soon will become part of the past.

Frank J. "Bucky" Rizzuto, owner of Rizzuto's Jewelers at 517 Fallowfield Ave., Charleroi, has announced plans to close the store and retire after a successful 45-year career in the Mon Valley's business community.

"It's an emotional time, I can't deny that," Rizzuto said poignantly as he embarked on a going-out-of-business sale. "The people of this region have been very good to us over the years. It will be difficult to lock the doors for the last time and say goodbye to them."

Rizzuto, whose career in the jewelry profession actually spans some 50 years and has taken him to Monessen and Donora as well as Charleroi, emphasized gratitude to his customers by pointing to a basic tenet of business.

"We have always treated anyone and everyone who came into our stores with respect," he said. "I think any businessman who wants to be successful subscribes to that idea. That's especially true when you're in a small community like those we have in this Mon Valley. We are, in a sense, a mom and pop business that provides a needed service for people who don't want to travel out of town. They are looking for something close to home, a place that will give them quality goods and service, dependability and affordable prices."

In addition to jewelry, Rizzuto's stores have offered watch and clock repairs, watch batteries and restoration of bracelets, necklaces and other items. And his customers have not been limited to Charleroi, where he's been located for 22 years, or the immediate mid-Mon Valley.

"We've been fortunate to attract people from throughout the region," Rizzuto said. "A young couple from Bethel Park came in recently to buy their engagement and wedding rings. And they've traveled here from Washington, California, Greensburg, Uniontown, Peters Township, Fredericktown, Brownsville and Sewickley, as well as other areas."

Rizzuto's drawing power was unique in that the business has always operated on a limited marketing budget, despite competition from "the big guys at the malls."

"I honestly believe our customers have been the best form of advertising, word of mouth," Rizzuto said. "People have told other people about the little things we've done to make them satisfied customers. It wasn't unusual for someone to come in and tell us a friend or relative recommended our store to them. You can't ask for a better testimonial."

Rizzuto, 66, made his first solo venture into the jewelry business on Oct. 10, 1962, when he began renting half of the music store, Valley Music Center, owned and operated for many years by his late parents, Frank M. and Leda (Bridgette) Rizzuto, at 513 Schoonmaker Ave. in Monessen.

"I learned a lot about business, and about life, from my dad," Rizzuto said. "He was a very talented and respected musician and an excellent music teacher. They sold instruments and sheet music and had students from throughout the area. They were receptive to my idea of opening the jewelry business at their place and gave me tremendous encouragement. My mom did not play a musical instrument but had a very smart business sense and was a natural in a business environment."

Rizzuto, a 1957 graduate of Monessen High School and an Army National Guard veteran, actually got his first taste of the jewelry business before that venture at his father's store.

"I started at Edmund's in Monessen when I was 18," he recalled. "I did a lot of engraving work there."

Rizzuto left Edmund's to work at Seymour's, another longtime jewelry store in Monessen. But he yearned to "go out on my own" and that desire led to his parents' store.

When the elder Rizzuto retired in 1963, the son decided to incorporate the businesses and the new Rizzuto's Jewelry and Music Store came into being.

One of the most memorable moments in his business career came at the new site about a year after Rizzuto opened the combined business.

"That was the year (1964) the Beatles came to the United States and started the British Invasion," Rizzuto said. "I don't need to remind you how popular they were. Everyone wanted to be Paul and John and guitars were big sellers. In October of '64 I decided to buy a gross of guitars and sell them for the holidays. People thought I was crazy. They said, 'How many guitars can you sell in Monessen?' Well, between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, we sold 142 of the 144 we had in stock. And I gained between 40 and 50 students in the process."

Seymour's location closed in 1965 and Rizzuto moved his business to 465 Donner Ave. He opened a second store in April 1971 on McKean Avenue in Donora.

"Helen Balent was our manager at that site, which was located next to Isaly's," Rizzuto said. "She had many years of experience in the jewelry business and was such an asset to our store."

When Balent retired in 1984, Rizzuto decided to close the Donora store and concentrate on his Monessen business. The transition to Charleroi came a year later and he rented the storefront at 517 Fallowfield Ave.

Family matters in a huge way in Rizzuto's life. And retirement will afford him the opportunity to spend more time with his wife of 42 years, the former Nancy Stura, and their children and grandchildren.

The Rizzutos, who celebrated their anniversary on Oct. 10, are the parents of a son, Frank J. Rizzuto Jr., and a daughter, Dana Jo Bergstedt. Frank Jr. and his wife, Rebecca, are the parents of a daughter, Bella Nevaeh, who just turned 2 this month. Meanwhile, Dana Jo and her husband, David Bergstedt III, are the parents of a daughter, Victoria Elizabeth, who was born last June 8.

"They are truly God's gifts to us," Rizzuto said of his granddaughters. "I'm looking forward to spending more time with them and our children."

He and his wife also hope to do some traveling, and Rizzuto will continue serving the people of Monessen as city treasurer, a position he has held for 21 years. And he will continue activities as a longtime member of Monessen Lions Club, Monessen Elks, the Italian Society of Mutual Aid in Monessen, and Thomas McKee Post 28 of The American Legion in Monessen. He is a former president of the Lions and the Monessen Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to bidding farewell to his customers, Rizzuto also is going to miss three women who are part of his extended family, Rizzuto's Jewelers employees manager Cindy Wilson and sales specialists Charlotte Dacko and Johanna Rubino.

"Great people, all of three of them," Rizzuto said. "Cindy has been with us in Charleroi since the day we opened, and Charlotte brought a lot of business savvy with her experience as the former manager at Eisenberg's Department Store in Charleroi. They and Johanna must share in the success we enjoyed in Charleroi."

Rizzuto also reaffirmed his gratitude to the entire Mon Valley.

"We've enjoyed our stay here, it's a friendly area with good people," he said. "A lot of things have changed over the past 45 years, that's for sure. But the people are the same, and I'll miss seeing and serving our customers."