Regional Business Roundup: Way Past Pizza, Fitness Reconstruction and an Uncerain Dodge

Attleboro

 Pizzeria DeMarco Offers More Than Pizza

 Adel Fitian has been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years, and he's bringing that experience to Pizzeria DeMarco in Attleboro.

Fitian said the restaurant works mainly on word of mouth from his customers. He said the location itself isn't all that great, kind of out of the way from the main center of Attleboro, but after being there 10 years, he has made it work.

"I'm really kind of hidden here," he said. "A lot of my business comes from word of mouth. People try it and they spread the word. I always get people coming in who say, 'Oh I tried your food at my friend's house and now here I am. It works really well when I do catering, when a big group of people try the food. That's mainly how I get regular and repeat customers."

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Norton

 Hot Dogs and More Keeping Family For More Than 30 Years

Hot Dogs and More in Norton started over 30 years ago, and now its still going strong.

“We started in 1978 coming right out of the blizzard,” said Jim Brown, whose parents, Vincent and Barbara began the business as the town dug itself out.

“That was so much fun; it was the best thing that ever happened to this town,” Rich said, laughing.

Vincent Brown originally built the stand from a wooden trailer car with no doors. Those working the stand used a window to get inside. The business has since been passed down to his son Jim Brown and Barbara's brother, Butch Rich.

“The stand was about half the size and it was right in the center of town where the Walgreens is now,” Rich said.

Foxborough

 Construction of New CrossFit Torque Facility a ‘Dream Come True’ for Foxborough Owners

 CrossFit Torque in Foxborough is currently constructing its new 4,000 square foot building on Route 1 next door to Chace Building Supply and co-owner Amanda Chace says it couldn’t be going better.

“It’s going really great,” she said. “It’s going up a lot quicker than I expected.”

Crossfit Torque originally opened in Foxborough in 2010, and Chace said she and her brother/co-owner Rich have been renting the building adjacent to the new construction site since then.

“It’s the next step and it’s a dream come true,” she said. “We plan on finishing on the second week of July.”

Chace said they are also planning on holding a grand opening for the new building in August or September.

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Wrentham

Town Pizza a True Stroke of Luck

Bill Shehata’s immigration to America, and subsequently coming to Town Pizza in Wrentham, was quite a lucky chance, very lucky in fact.

“You apply for a lottery and they pick about 55 citizens from around the work,” he said. “My luck definitely got me there.”

Shehata said he originally worked in a bus manufacturing plant in Egypt, and upon coming to the U.S., found manufacturing to be in short supply in 1995.

“The job I found when I came was cooking pizza,” he said. “I was cooking in pizza places for about five years. They taught me the business.”

Shehata said about that time he was looking to open his own business.

“The guy before me, he was here 10 years and he wanted to get rid of it,” he said.

Mansfield

Future Uncertain for Old Colony Dodge

Old Colony Dodge's days could be numbered if the land and buildings occupied by the dealership are sold.

With the owner of the land selling the property, the car dealership would be forced to move all their operations into one building if one of the proprities are sold according to co-owner Ted Bancroft.

"If he (the landlord) sells one of our buildings, we'll just move operations into the other one," Bancroft said.

Despite the uncertainty of a sale, Brancroft says there are no plans to close. The co-owner did say however, they would have to make a counter offer if both buildings are sold.

While Bancroft denies plans for shutting down, co-owner Manny Braga told the Sun Chronicle the dealership would likely close on May 17 due to declining business.

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Easton

 Easton Dress Shop Helping Girls Find Perfect Prom Dress

For eight years now Dream Prom and Occasion in Easton has been helping thousands of girls find just the right prom gown for their special night.

Located in the North Easton Village Shoppes on Washington Street, the shop owned by mother-daughter combo Fallon Dale and Lisa Branco is filled with dresses in all sizes, colors, styles and price ranges.

"We specialize in prom. We do social occasions and homecoming and all that stuff in the second half of the year but prom is really our forte and the thing we really like doing,” Dale said.

The 28-year-old said they sell about 1,000 prom dresses a year and girls come from all over, even Canada, to find that perfect gown.

Seekonk-Swansea

 Lemon and Oil Deli Keeps It Simple

 Neil Nadeau was in the corporate restaurant business for many years before he decided to buy his own shop in 2009. Now, he says theLemon and Oil Deli in Seekonk is going strong.

"I tried to simplify everything when I came in," he said. "We definitely stuck to that philosophy."

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