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This article is part of the America's Favorite Mom & Pop Shops series. Read more stories
Key Takeaways Consistent actions, not words, build authentic trust with customers over time.
Teams learn company values through observed habits, not manuals or memos.
A clear purpose guides decisions, strengthens resilience and sustains community focus.
Seventy-five years in business is no small feat, and our family owns that with pride. Since 1947, we have kept the ovens warm through the 1970s inflation, the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the 2008–09 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. Not every food vendor made it through those turns.
The pandemic was a different battle. As a federally recognized essential business, we stayed open, but customers couldn’t stay inside the stores for long. They had to grab their orders and go. It was a tough shift, but we didn’t give up. We adjusted quickly to online ordering, delivery and everything. The real challenge was proving we could still be there for our community while maintaining six feet of distance, of course.
Each shakeup changed how we work, what we sell and how people buy. A lot has changed except for one thing — our sense of community. We still greet people by name, box the extra bagels at close and send them to local groups that need them. The same neighborhoods that kept us going get the same care from us each day. That anchor carried us through every test and still guides how we operate.
Related: Your Customers Won’t Trust You Unless You Embrace These 5 Strategies
1. Trust is built by what you repeat
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