New owners at Shelburne No Frills eager to join the community

Written By Brian Lockhart

The Shelburne No Frills grocery store is under new management, with new owners taking over, who say they're looking forward to being part of the town.

Jimmy and Stef Cerasani officially took over the store on Sunday, Dec. 3, located at the intersection of Highway 89 and 2nd Line.

When the previous owners of the Shelburne No Frills retired, Jimmy and Stef were given the opportunity to take over the local store.

They previously owned a No Frills store in Mississauga but welcomed the chance to move to a smaller community and live a less hectic lifestyle.

Residents of Bradford, Stef said this is a long-term commitment, and they plan on relocating to Shelburne in the near future.

“The franchise came up, and we put in our application because we were all done with the city,” Stef said of the decision to leave Mississauga and explore opportunities in a more laid-back setting. “We were ready to come farther north.”

Jimmy has been in the grocery business for 20 years – all with No Frills. Stef joined him two years ago to make it a real family business.

“We did really well in Mississauga and we hope to do really well in Shelburne,” Stef explained. “We think our staff is wonderful – each of them is a very integral piece to this very large puzzle. They have really great skills and we are thrilled to have them. Typically when you relocate the biggest challenge is staffing, but we've been very fortunate with the staff here, it's actually been a welcoming surprise. We want the Shelburne community to realize that we are a part of this community and we want to give back. We've had some really great feedback. People are letting us know that they are happy with the way the store looks. We want people to feel that this is where they can do their shopping and they can do their full shop here.”

The Shelburne No Frills will be hosting its first community event at the store on Friday, Dec. 9, when firefighters from the Shelburne and District Fire Department hold a toy and food drive. 

“We want to invite residents out for some cake and coffee,” Stef said.

The toy and food drive will take place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

You can drop off new, unwrapped toys or non-perishable food items, which will be given to people in need within the community.