Longtime grocery in Boardman closes

BOARDMAN -- A long-standing grocery institution here is no more.
Rulli Bros. store on South Avenue closed its doors at the start of business Wednesday.
The Mahoning County Sheriff's Department changed the locks and made sure no employees were in the building.
Carolyn Italiano, an employee of the store for 27 years, said employees received notice at the close of business Tuesday that they would have to evacuate the premises by this morning. She said employees spent the night packing up and transporting groceries and perishables to places where they could be stored.
Why it closed
Italiano said the store's closing is the result of a long-standing feud between the Rulli brothers, Frank and Anthony.
Frank "has gone through the trouble of putting his brother, his sisters, and all these employees out on the street," she said.
The store had 37 employees.
Employees say the store will reopen, but not in that location. They are not sure of when or where the store will reopen.
Neither brother could be reached for comment.
Frank Rulli, who owns the Rulli Bros. store in Austintown, paid $825,000 in October 2001 for the building and property that houses his brother Anthony's business in Boardman.
The sale was ordered by a bankruptcy court judge to reorganize debts incurred by Anthony Rulli and his wife, Karen, under their personal Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.