Dinova’s Four Corners closes

#MiddleburyCT #Dinovas

Dinova’s Four Corners Grocery Store, part of Middlebury for 83 years, permanently closed its doors April 20. Owners Joe and Lucy Dinova are retiring from the business that served Middleburians for years. (Marjorie Needham photos)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Joe & Lucy Dinova (Marjorie Needham photo)

Dinova’s Four Corners Grocery Store served Middlebury for 83 years. On April 10, 2024, it announced it was permanently closing and 10 days later, on Saturday, April 20, at 5 p.m., it did exactly that. Owners Joe and Lucy Dinova are retiring and are now readying the space for its new occupants, DG Market, whose lease provides for them to occupy the space starting June 1, 2024.

Residents were shocked to read the store’s April 10 Facebook post saying it was closing. More than 150 people posted responses bemoaning the loss of the store but wishing owners Joe and Lucy Dinova a happy retirement. Comments included, “It’s the end of an era,” “Four Corners is part of what makes Middlebury such a great place to live,” and “This is a major loss for Middlebury,” along with thanks to the Dinovas and the staff at Four Corners and wishes for a happy retirement for Joe and Lucy.

Joe said he would soon turn 70, and it was time for him to retire. “I started working in the store when I was 9 years old,” he said. He said that basically meant he never got to celebrate a Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. He also had to get married on a holiday when the store was closed. Retirement will change all that. It also will mean he can take longer to enjoy his morning coffee and walk with the dog.

Joe said Covid really impacted the business. Lucy said the store initially closed in March 2020 and didn’t reopen until just before Memorial Day. During that time, they switched to deliveries and curbside pickups. Joe said, “Before Covid no one thought of having deliveries.”

He said people had already changed the way they shopped, buying paper products at Costco and pet food at PetSmart instead of at their local grocery store. Lucy said, “No one goes to one store anymore.”

However, Covid changed things even more. People got used to buying groceries and other items online and having them delivered to their homes. Joe said, “Covid really was a reset on how people do things.”

Joe said several other things also adversely affected the business. One is the increasing minimum wage. The 2024 minimum wage is $15.69 an hour. In 2019, it was $11 an hour. Another factor is most people pay with credit cards instead of cash or check. That means 2.2 percent of every sale goes to the credit card company. Dramatic increases in insurance and electricity costs add to the challenge of operating a small independent grocery store.

Joe said he had been trying to find a buyer for the business and had contacted everyone he could think of, including Trader Joe’s, Aldi’s and Stop & Shop, but no one was interested. Then Dollar General offered to lease the space for one of its DG Markets, and Joe accepted the offer. This happened months ago, but he had signed a non-disclosure agreement and couldn’t say anything about it until just recently.

“I hated not being able to say anything to my employees,” he said. Talking about the employees, Joe said, “My people are the best. They are long term employees. Some worked here 18 years, some 22, 30 and 35 years.”

In the 10 days between the announcement and the actual closing, customers sought out Joe and Lucy to thank them and to wish them a happy retirement. “It’s heart-wrenching,” Lucy said, “to see so many customers coming in to say ‘goodbye.’ We feel like we are letting people down, but they assure us it’s time for us to do something different.”

While they have a second home in South Carolina, Joe said they will not be moving from Middlebury. Instead, they will split their time between the two homes, initially spending most of their time here in Middlebury.

Joe said of his years at the store, “I have great memories. I met a lot of great people. It wasn’t just all work; it was a lot of fun.” He said he woke up on April 20 feeling good. “We’re both ready for the next chapter of our lives,” he said.