Mount Greenwood Residents Gather to Honor Long-Shuttered Grocery Owner

Shoppers in Mount Greenwood will see a familiar face at 10653 S. Homan Ave. this Saturday. Don Cosentino, 93, plans to stand outside the former site of his grocery store from 4 to 6 p.m. on Halloween. The Mount Greenwood Historical Committee is hosting the event to mark the 19th anniversary of the shop's closure.

Cosentino opened Don’s Finer Foods in 1972 with his wife, Marie. The store operated for 35 years before closing in 2007. It served as a local hub for groceries, cut-to-order meats, and candy. The building now functions as a residence, but the community remembers the business as a neighborhood staple.

Margaret Schroeder, president and founder of the Mount Greenwood Historical Committee, said the event aims to reconnect Cosentino with longtime customers. She noted that residents frequently ask about his well-being. "People say all the time, 'Where’s Don? How has he been?' The kids used to stop there all the time for candy, so I thought we’d have him come on Halloween," Schroeder said.

Family members will participate in the pop-up shop. They plan to wear white aprons and Hanes T-shirts, mirroring the attire Cosentino wore for decades. The group will hand out candy to attendees, recreating the store's popular candy counter.

Geena Abbott, Cosentino's granddaughter, described the business as a family operation. "Every family member all played a part. You worked there from the time you were little until you had a job of your own, and even then a little bit after," Abbott said. She noted that the store relied on few outside employees, with relatives handling tasks like sausage making and beef grinding.

The store played a specific role in local religious traditions. Abbott said her mother, Donna Dunleavy, recalled the shop preparing corned beef for Mount Greenwood residents and St. Christina School around St. Patrick's Day. Abbott characterized her grandfather as a person who valued interacting with customers and building relationships within the neighborhood.

Marie Cosentino, who died in October 2012, also worked in the business. She managed cooking duties, including preparing all the beef sold in the store. Her involvement underscored the dual-gender nature of the family enterprise that sustained the shop for three decades.

The event will also honor Russ Schroeder, 95. He grew up on the 10600 block of South Homan Avenue. The Schroeder family has lived on that block for a century. The Historical Committee recognizes his long-standing presence in the community alongside the tribute to Cosentino.