It was a longtime mutual customer, Greg Nenni, that suggested the two businesses team up when he learned West Side was closing based on health and family issues for the Parrellas. Diver’s owner Dan Diver thought it was a great idea and called Debbie, asking her to come work at his store.
“I think it’s a compliment him asking me,” she said. “I feel very rewarded that he believes I have the ability to draw the crowd there and to enhance his business.
“I don’t have to tell my customers goodbye. I’m so grateful for that opportunity, because you can’t put 26 years of your life and see three generations come in and go out and not have feelings for them. Most of my customers I know on a first-name basis.”
The Parrellas have worked together their entire marriage, mostly as the only employees at their store. Ted Parrella’s stepfather suggested they open the business in 1986 and helped them build their current building in 1988 when sales took off.
Debbie Parrella said she learned on the job, even buying two horses that helped her understand what kinds of feeds work best.
Diver’s, a fifth-generation family business that began in 1892, was originally a competitor of West Side. However, when business slowed for West Side about 10 years ago, Debbie said the two stores started to work together — referring customers to one another if they didn’t have a certain product in stock.
“Independent business people in the area have found it is easier to cooperate with each other than to compete with each other,” Diver said.
Both stores carry livestock and pet feeds, along with lawn and garden supplies, but they featured different lines of products. Diver’s will bring all of West Side’s feed brands over and keep just about all the prices the same.
The Parrellas’ health also made it tough to keep West Side open. Both in their late 50s, they’ve had to deal with multiple health issue, the most difficult being Ted’s cancer surgery in March. That meant Debbie had to go back to working 50 to 60 hours a week. Ted is cancer free but can no longer work full time.
The move to Diver’s will keep Debbie’s hours from 20 to 25 per week, which she said she appreciates.
Dan Diver has his son and daughter working at the store, Aaron and Rachel, along with their aunt, Karen Dawes.
“One of the things that Debbie and I wanted to accomplish was keeping as much business in town as we can,” Dan Diver said. “The trend all around the country is for business to be going away from smaller independent business owners such as Debbie and me to larger outlets. ... We want to try and stem that trend as much as possible, because when commercial or business activity leaves an area, it weakens the area.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 483-5245 or Ted.Cox@coxinc.com.
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