Jeannie Brady, head buyer for Stella’s Grocery (Photo by Jay Paul)
With seven Richmond locations and counting, family-owned Stella’s Grocery has evolved into a mini market empire. The original outpost debuted in 2015 from restaurateurs Katrina and Johnny Giavos, across from their Greek restaurant on Lafayette Street. Both the eatery and the markets are named for Katrina’s mother, chef Stella Dikos. At the helm of the shops is head buyer and longtime family friend Jeannie Brady. The industry lifer moved from waiting tables to driving the success of this local brand, responsible for acquiring products from area purveyors, scouting national trends and keeping market shelves stocked.
Richmond magazine: Where are you from and how did you meet the Giavos family?
Jeannie Brady: I’m from Chesterfield; I moved away to the Outer Banks for 23 years and still have a house down there. I’ve been back in Richmond for 8 1/2 years. Katrina and I have known each other since she was 18, I was 20. I was working at Tobacco Company, and she was working at Stella’s, where Edo’s Squid is now. We have been friends ever since.
RM: How did you become the buyer for Stella’s Grocery?
Brady: I was working at Stella’s and was working at the Lafayette Street market a few nights a week. The buyer they originally hired quit. Katrina was like, “You can do this,” so I started buying for that market, and then Grace Street opened, and then Scott’s Addition opened, and I stopped working at the restaurant. [Laughs]
RM: What is the process like for choosing products to carry?
Brady: I look around and keep my ears peeled and see what’s popular and what’s not selling. I look at what other people are selling, and use a platform specifically for entrepreneurs and buyers. Trade shows are big, I try to keep the gifts really accessible, and then I have a couple of reps I work with. A lot of it, too, is branding, also has to be good. And, of course, we like to do local.
RM: Why do you think the markets have been so well received?
Brady: It’s a one-stop shop. I always say, “Stella’s [Grocery] is like buying back your evening”; you get your dinner, and you’re back home on your sofa with your pajama pants on watching “Jeopardy!” People love it, their customer service. I think they give people a good value. Also, Stella [Dikos], she’s been in Richmond since the late ’60s, people love her, all those beatniks and hippies down at the Village [Cafe]. I mean, she’s a Richmond icon.
RM: What has it been like growing with the Giavos family and the markets?
Brady: For us, we look at each other the same we’ve always looked at each other. The markets have grown like crazy. We bought the building on Lafayette and knocked out the wall and made a wine room and left the rest for storage and offices. What we really need next is a production kitchen, one central location to produce and ship products. It’s been a learning curve for all of us; we’re self-taught.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
