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Mrs. Spinelli believes that food is important not only to Italian
culture but all cultures.
For this reason, the Italian Centre Shopimports food products not only from Italy, but also from places like Portugal, Lebanon, Spain and Greece, to name a few. Thus,
the store is a centre for other cultures as well.
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She also talks about Mr. Spinelli's role in the community.
He brought many singers from Italy and played a part in probably all of the Italian clubs and societies: organizing, serving on the board, or at least attending meetings when business concerns took more of his time.
Two of his passions were hunting and soccer. He founded the Ital-Canadian Soccer Club which still operates.
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Mrs. Nimis talked about he role in the community; her sense of
"Little Italy"-pride of place, works with the community to keep it clean, landscaping and signage improvements (e.g., "Benvenuti" sign at entrance to "Little Italy"), tourist attraction.
She provides store tours to schools and community groups to show that the area is a safe inner-city place.
She is committed to the well-being of the community. She
notes that she was "upset" at first when she found out that the Scalabrinians were leaving Santa Maria Goretti
Parish, but was happy to discover that the new priest is coming
from Italy and speaks Italian. She feels that this is important, especially for the older immigrants.
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She also noted that when it first opened for business, the Italian
Centre Shop customers were approximately 90% Italian. Now, the
customers come from many varied backgrounds and likely equal or
exceed the number of Italian customers.
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Mrs. Spinelli talked about the future for Italian community.
She sees the role of the Church as a continuing influence, especially for baptisms, weddings and such.
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Mrs. Nimis has been to Italy many times and has seen it change over the years.
Immigrants have held on to the old remembered ways even though they bear no resemblance to today's Italy.
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She notes that coming to the Italian Centre Shop
is a a cultural experience. She has recently made changes to
the Deli counter to make it more efficient but she felt that it was
important to retain some of the old things that bring back warm memories. The stuffed birds that decorate the store are reminiscent of
her Father's hunting prowess; regular customers and long-time staff want to keep them on display and won't let
her take them down! She notes that the Italian Centre is not just a grocery store, it's a cultural institution.
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As a child of Italian immigrants, she considered herself an outsider in her early school years; and, when she went to Italy for a visit, she considered herself an outsider there as well.
Mrs. Nimis has taken on the family business and finds it "tough" to fill her Father's shoes. Her Father was a "really great man" and she's trying the best she can.
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Mrs. Spinelli notes that they made sacrifices in starting a new life in a new land; she left her family behind; didn't know the language, but she was young, in love, and full of hope ("the young live for today, don't know what they're getting into").
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Mrs. Nimis notes that immigrants are brave risk-takers; doesn't
think that that quality has been bred into the subsequent generation; she says that one always takes a risk, whether in love or business.
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Mrs. Spinelli observed that, even though Frank was down on his luck, flat on his back in hospital,
he was optimistic that he would make it: "as long as you're willing
to work hard, you'll succeed."
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Mrs. Nimis doesn't think her generation has become complacent because they're reminded all the time about the hardships their parents endured.
Her hopes for the future are to grow the business, see that her Father's dreams remain fulfilled.
She also hopes to have a family, have them speak Italian, and she'd
like to share the stories of her culture and heritage with her
children and others.
Heritage Community Foundation Presents
