Lariccia’s Italian Marketplace is its own Christmas tradition

[EDITOR'S NOTE — Each week, this feature section, "Movers and Makers," will feature the stories of the movers, launchers, entrepreneurs and makers who contribute to the vitality of the Mahoning Valley. This section is supported by our first community partner, Farmers National Bank. If you are interested in being our next community partner, contact Mark Eckert at meckert@mahoningmatters.com.]

BOARDMAN — Lariccia's Italian Marketplace has brought quality home-style Italian cuisine and goods to the Mahoning Valley for over a century, becoming one of the longest established businesses in the Mahoning Valley.

After moving to the Mahoning Valley from Italy in 1907, original owner Joseph Lariccia begin making homemade sausage recipes in his basement and would deliver them to buyers in horse and carriage.

A storefront was created that same year. The storefront has moved locations three times — it's now at 7438 Southern Blvd. — but has remained in the Lariccia family.

Tessa Lariccia Allegretto is the third generation to own the business, with the help of her husband Michael Allegretto. She said taking over the store was always part of her plan growing up.

"I always liked the store, I always enjoyed it. I like the hustle and bustle of moving quick, always doing something," she said.

According to Lariccia Allegretto, business is "booming," especially during the holiday season when Italians prepare for The Feast of the Seven Fishes, a Christmas Eve tradition. Lariccia's most popular item has always been its meatball mix.

"I'm fortunate enough to see even third generation coming in here. I've known people's grandparents and seeing them come in and buying baccala and buying squid sauce things [like] that," she said. "We keep the traditions going and so many people, I think the common denominator, especially during the holidays."

Michael Allegretto described the holiday season as a different, exciting atmosphere, and said the scene of the store on Christmas Eve is "tear jerking."

"We'll have a line that will start at about 7 a.m. We don't open until 9, but we'll have a line that'll go all the way to Southern Boulevard all the way to the street to wait for our fish."

For many community members, stopping by Lariccia's the morning of Christmas Eve is a tradition.

"There's people that meet each other [at Lariccia's] maybe just once a year. That's the only time they see each other and they've kind of made that a tradition in itself," he said. "It's the great stories that we have to tell about that one single morning."

Allegretto's goal is to keep customers as happy as possible by providing a quality product at a fair price in a clean, friendly environment.

"The customers make us. We don't make them. They've made us who we are for the past 112 years," he said.

For Lariccia Allegretto, the relationships formed between the customers and employees make the store unique.

"If someone gets sick or someone gets married, you follow the joy, the happiness, the sorrow along with your customers," she said. "There's an appreciation and there's a there's a thankfulness for everybody who walks in that store."

This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Lariccia’s Italian Marketplace is its own Christmas tradition."