Freshly minted master?s degree in hand, Nancy Cohen stepped through the doors of her family?s grocery store ? Eddie?s of Roland Park ? in 1981, ready for work.
Her father, Victor, founded the store in 1951 on a tradition of customer service and close relationships with shoppers. Those values firmly in mind, he quickly put his daughter to work.
“He said, ?Stand by the door and say hello to people?,” Cohen recalled. “I said, ?I have a college degree, what do you mean?? He said, ?Stand by the door and greet people.? It went on for years.”
That hands-on approach paid off last month, when Cohen was named one of the Top Women in Grocery by industry publication Progressive Grocer, alongside executives from around the country.
Cohen?s father never really retired, she said, and except for occasional winter trips to Florida, often worked in the back room or greeted customers. He passed away in 2000, but Cohen said she still looks to his example for guidance in tough spots.
“He was always looking over things, he loved to be in the stores and see the customers,” she said. “If I had questions, I just tried to remember how he would look at things. It was [based] on quality, and it was based on service.”
Many of Cohen?s employees are just as dedicated, said Jo Alexander, communications director for the stores, with some working for more than 30 years. Alexander said she?s worked for Cohen for 14 years.
“She knows just about every customer who steps in our store,” Alexander said. “It?s just amazing to me, when she and I go out for lunch, she knows everyone by name, not just in her own store.”
A third generation of family ownership may be in the works. Cohen?s son, Michael Schaffer, finished college and works in the family liquor store. Another, Andrew, is still in college, and Cohen said she hoped they would continue the family businesses.
“What?s important for me is, I?m trying to honor my family?s tradition,” she said. “I think we have a longtime Baltimore tradition. You treat your staff, treat your customers, your vendors with integrity.”
