Walter's Market reopening with original business model

LACONIA — Within about a year, Laconia lost two of its neighborhood markets. Walter's Market on Court Street closed in September of last year, and more recently, the Laconia Spa of Church Street went out of business. Stepping into the void is a local couple that hopes to soon re-open Walter's Market, which has served South End residents since it was opened by Walter Filaroski in 1943.

The new owners, Diana and Chris Robinson, will be the fifth owners to run the business, which was started as a butcher shop and supporting market and in more recent iterations came to lean more toward a convenience store in its merchandising. The Robinsons think the best plan for the future of Walter's Market is to take a page out of its past. Their intention is to return the market to its earliest intent: high-quality meats, cut on the premises and to order, with neighborly customer service to match.

Operating a neighborhood market has been a desire Chris has nurtured for better than two decades, since he was a teenager working at a similar, independently-owned market in Michigan. He has since worked a 24 year-long career in retail sales.

Diana is a dietitian who plans to eventually transition to working full-time at the market. Joining them at the store will be Roger Young, a butcher with more than three decades of experience.

Young, who was an acquaintance of the Robinsons', knew they were looking to start a business and was the one who mentioned to them that the Walter's location was available. After a few meetings with Peter and Janet Filaroski, the son and daughter-in-law of market founder Walter Filaroski, the Robinsons were encouraged enough to take the plunge and in early November signed papers to move in. Peter and Janet Filaroski took over the business from Walter in 1976 and ran the shop until 1994, when they sold it to an employee, Todd Sanborn. Joe DaSilva owned and managed the store from 2001 until it abruptly closed last year.

The Filaroskis continue to own the property. Janet said she and her husband kept the market true to Walter's initial vision. "Our line was quality meats and the inventory was what would support the meat business," she said, and reported that her conversations with the Robinsons have proven to her that they want the store to return to Walter's original model."They want to come as close to it as they can," she said.

In an answer to what Diana said is the most common question locals ask her, she reported that the Filaroskis have shared with them Walter's original recipe for Polish beans, and the Robinsons will be sure to keep them on hand.

The Robinsons will focus on meats, which will include pork, sausages, chicken, lamb, turkey and choice Nebraska-raised beef. Chris said the beef will be "hanging beef" instead of "boxed beef," which he said will provide for fresher cuts with better marbling. "You'll see a difference," he said. And with large sections of beef hanging behind the butcher's counter, customers will either be able to select a steak that has been already cut or ask the butcher to cut a piece to the customer's preferences. If there's anything a customer is hankering for but doesn't see in stock – whether it's a fresh turkey, bratwurst or kangaroo meat (seriously) – Chris said he'd happily offer to make a special order.

In addition to the butcher's counter, the store will stock fresh produce, freshly-baked goods, deli meats, sandwiches and prepared meals such as meat pies. Some grocery items will continue to be offered, and the Robinsons plan to continue selling cigarettes, beer and wine. They hope to offer locally and regionally-produced goods whenever possible.

The new-old Walter's will open in early December, the Robinsons hope. They'll be open seven days a week, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. most days with slightly reduced hours on Sundays. Since committing to the deal a few weeks ago, the Robinsons and their employees have been hard at work preparing the space. They've installed new flooring, a new ceiling, put up a new coat of paint on the interior and gave the shop a good top-to-bottom cleaning. Exterior changes are in the plans, too. They hope all the improvements will add up to a store that is less like a modern convenience store and more like the neighborhood markets that once dotted corners across the city.

"I think people are looking for the way it used to be, the small-time customer service," said Diana.

"We're blue-collar people who know what people want and we'll cater to them," promised Chris.