We are proud to be an independent family business that has been in Southbury for over 60 years.  Founded by George Tomey in Sandy Hook when he was a very young man.  He moved his business to Main Street in Woodbury. Then known as The Woodbury Market, the store was located in the building that now houses Grass Roots Antiques.  George and his wife Eleanor lived above the store in a small apartment. 

  When his two brothers Joe and Louis came back from serving in WWII he opened up a store for them to run on Oak Tree Rd in Southbury.  It was in the Candido building.  As time went on, the business grew and he built a larger store to accommodate the growing Southbury.  This store, the Southbury Food center was on the same property but close to the road.  The store had three registers and was a landmark in the Southbury community.  George's brothers joined him in this location as meat cutters. 

Once again the successful business was bursting at the seams, and in 1969 George built an even larger store, in its current Main Street South location. 

In 1994, as George's health was failing, he asked his son-in-law Barry Tarnowicz to take over his duties at the store.  Barry started working at the food center when he was 18 years old but left in the late 70's to work his own franchise.  Barry was no stranger to the store when he took over for George.  George died in the year 2000 at the age of 84. He dedicated a good part of his life to the store and the family business he loved .  Patti has since joined Barry to help keep her Dad’s legacy alive and in 2007 Patti and Barry purchased the store from the Tomey family.  The response was immediately overwhelming.
      Barry and Patti's youngest son, Alex, has also been involved at the store for  many years. He used to love to help his grandfather stock shelves as a child and then when he was a teenager he worked summers and on school vacations.  Now, as a proud 2009 graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, he is manager of the Dairy Department.   
       From its small beginnings to what is now known as “The Friendly Store,” The Southbury Food Center continues to thrive everyday.