My Mom and I went to Mike Ridgell’s Baymart yesterday for lunch. While there I reminisced about how the place used to look back in the day when Ann and Tony Cocimano, and before them the Yosts, used to run it.
First thing I remember thinking is that it was a very big store in comparison to Buzzy’s Country Store. They had a bar room where the deli is now and I also recall the place extending back farther beyond where the beer case is now. I also recall the place as being chock full of items for sale. I asked Mom if she remembered it when the Yost’s had it and she said yes but she didn’t know anything about them. She laughed and noted “Too bad Buzzy isn’t still around because he knew all about the businesses around here back then.”
I did some noodling around on line for info on the Yost’s operating the store but was unable to find out much. However, I did manage to find a couple articles on the Yost’s successors Ann and Tony Cocimano plus I new both of them from their visiting Buzzy’s frequently through the years.
Ann and Tony enjoyed coming into Buzzy’s. I remember Tony would lean over on Buzzy’s counter (much as Ann is doing in the photo below) and converse with Buzzy as they knocked back a drink or two. The fact that Ann and Tony both enjoyed the Buzzy atmosphere so much I think it helped influence their decision to buy Yost’s. They had run several businesses previously so they knew what they were getting into. Still, I believe Buzzy was a positive influence on them wanting to own and run a place similar to his.
When Ann and Tony bought Yost’s in 1976, I remember making some comment to Buzzy about them being competitors and taking business from him. Buzzy just laughed and said that he wasn’t worried about it, that more businesses meant more business in the area and that was good. (Remember, we still had Raley’s Market and Albertsen’s/ Hideaway back then too.)
Thus, Ann and Tony purchased the business from Harry Yost in 1976. Here is the Enterprise article about Liquor Board actions:
For the next 20 years Tony and Ann successfully ran the business to include the store, the bar and Ann’s hair shop. As this photo from Deb Siegal testifies, Ann and Tony’s was your One Stop Shop:
This from a 1987 Enterprise article.
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| Ann Cocimano Talking to a Beer Deliveryman |
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| http://stmalib.archivalweb.com/imageViewer.php?i=1370507&q=%22ann%20cocimano%22&s=q%3D%2522ann%2Bcocimano%2522%26p%3D32%26r%3D0 |
And this 1998 article:
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| http://stmalib.archivalweb.com/imageViewer.php?r=1364&in=1&d=0&s=q%3D%2522ann%2Bcocimano%2522%26p%3D32%26r%3D0 |
(Note that the article above begins with Ann and Tony’s and ends with a Chief Larry quote about Buzzy’s. Since Buzzy was Ann and Tony’s role model in a way, how’s that for a full circle story?)
Following Ann’s passing in 1996, son Tony ran the business before selling it to Ben Raley in 2000.
With references to “Anthony working in a grocery store” this Billy Joel song came to mind:
