Swiss Farms Market opens
NORRISTOWN >> Closed for more than a year, Main Street Citgo is back in action, stronger than ever.
Part of that strength comes from the gas station’s alliance with the new Swiss Farms Market, now in operation at the rear of the property at 220 W. Main St., Norristown.
It’s the 50-year-old Swiss Farms company’s 13th store, and the first outside of Delaware County, noted district manager Tony Galante, who beamed as he glanced around at the pristine set-up, meticulously stocked with many grocery-store essentials, from bread and milk to kettle-cooked potato chips and spray cleaners.
“Our challenge is that not only are we a new business in a new market, but the other business here has been out of commission for over a year. Not only is this place back open, but look at all the improvements we made,” Galante said.
With more than 2,000 items, “we’re looking to bring in even more; the customer will let us know what they want to see and we’ll adjust to that,” Galante said.
The store’s inventory is double that of the traditional Swiss Farms outpost, which is essentially a drive-through kiosk, Galante noted.
From the way he explained it, the Swiss Farms stores prior to Norristown operate like plussized Fotomats?
“That is a great comparison, but they’re a little bigger than that, with 700 square feet,” he said, laughing. “They do have two lanes, with one on each side. People will pull up to our drive thru — it’s basically a big sliding glass door — and tell us they need their Swiss tea coolers, milk, their cranberry chicken salad that we’re so famous for. Or they’ll walk up to it as if they were in a vehicle. And we have such loyal customers they’re always greeted by name,” Galante added. “The associates know the regulars. They know what kind of coffee they drink, what they get for lunch. They’ll see their car coming down the highway and by the time they get there they’ll have their newspaper and coffee ready for them.”
Galante is hopeful that the Norristown store will develop a similar rapport with customers.
With its staff of 10 — “nine of those we hired are from the neighborhood,” Galante said — one way Swiss Farms is courting Norristown customers in a big way is by offering free coffee
with any purchase until the end of the year.
“It’s a good way to get people through the door and let them know how good our coffee is,” Galante said.
Another way is with a grand opening bash on Dec 7 and 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with free food and
an appearance by company rooster mascot Cruiser.
A drive-through had been considered for Norristown, but the presence of the car wash — set to reopen at some point — made that impossible, he explained.
With the walk-in option, Norristown customers have the benefit of heating up their entrees, ranging from meatloaf to lasagna and chicken tenders, in the microwave provided.
“At the other stores, you heat it up when you get home, Galante said.
“The food is made at a commissary in Ridley and then we ship it out fresh every day on a truck that leaves around 5 a.m. so he can get it to all the stores that morning. People in Delaware County always tell us that our milk tastes better, and it’s partly the delivery frequency.
The other convenience chains and the grocery
stores get milk delivered two or three times a week. We get milk delivered every day. The milk that’s delivered to our store on Monday morning is probably still in the cow Saturday afternoon,” said Galante, who added that a special container designed to shield the product from light can also share credit for the consistently fresh taste.
Swiss Farms was founded by Lebanon-based Wengert’s Dairy in 1968,
Galante noted.
“The Wengert family needed an outlet to sell their milk and cheese and opened these drivethroughs.”
“We’re now bringing 50 years of experience and culture that we’ve had in Delaware County to Montgomery County.”
Currently open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., Swiss Farms will eventually be a 24-7 operation, Galante pointed out.
“There’s definitely a
need. We’ve had cameras here that pick up the least little movement from people on Main Street, all night long, so we know there’s a need. We’re celebrating our 50th anniversary this year,” he added, “and with 12 drive-through locations in Delaware County, we’ve always been looking to expand and grow. When we found this opportunity out here in Norristown it was the next natural step for us.”