Stew Leonard Tells All
By JOE PIRANEO
Updated 11:00 AM EST, Mon, Nov 2, 2009
One of the most well-known retailers and entrepreneurs in Connecticut is telling his story in a book.
Stew Leonard Sr., of Westport, is behind the world-renowned retail food business that is worth $400 million dollar and produces the greatest per square foot dollar return of any food store anywhere. It's also one of the most entertaining places to buy your groceries and has been called the Disneyland of dairy stores.
Now, he is recounting his path to success in "Stew Leonard: My Story," The Hour reports.
The company began in the 1920s with just a horse-drawn milk delivery truck from the Leonard farm, the New York Times reported. The store in Norwalk has been around since the 1930. Another store opened in Danbury in 1991 and there is a store in Newington.
He tells his story with help from Scotty Reiss, a professional journalist and hopes the books conveys a message of choosing right over wrong.
"My hope is that in reading this book, my experiences will convince you that any time you run into a situation where there is a right way and a wrong way to do something, you always choose the right way," he told the Hour. "And I think I show that no matter how dark and dismal things appear at any time in one's life, a positive attitude and optimistic outlook will carry you through."
One of the centerpieces of the book is his explanation of the events in 1991 that led to him spending 42 months in federal prison camp for under-reporting his income, the Hour reports.
"As I stood before the court, filled with remorse, I deeply regretted what I had done," he says in the book. "I knew that I had no one to blame but myself, I knew what I had done was wrong and that I deserved all the penalties that the judge was handing out to me. It is a regret that I will carry with me for the rest of my life."
The book is available at his stores across the state for $19.95 per copy.
First Published: Nov 2, 2009 9:17 AM EST
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