Fridge & Pantry: The Men Behind Oxford’s Newest Storefront

BY MAGGIE CALLAGHAN
Miami University journalism student

On a blustery December Friday afternoon, a man with a long steel pipe stands outside the storefront of 35 E. Church St. in Oxford, Ohio.

The sign over his head, in dark letters on a wood backdrop, reads Fridge & Pantry. The man -- wearing hiking boots, forest green khaki pants and a Seaview Outfitters T-shirt and baseball hat -- opens the door.

“I apologize for the smell,” says the man. “We discovered a drain leak in our basement and we have people here working on it.”

The man with the pipe disappears down the steps. A smell lingers in the space he exits -- but it is noticeably clean and marked by rustic charm. Large wooden boxes hold fruit next to cash registers that sit on high, wooden tables. Further back, open shelves carry some food with plenty of open space for more. In the back, large freezers line the wall on one side. On the other side, a wood bar with beer taps advertise draft beers and smoothies.

“That was part of our branding plan,” says the man. “We wanted to keep a common theme using ‘and’ so you will see ‘blank and blank’ a lot around the store."

A second man comes through the back door. He is dressed in blue sweatpants and black sweatshirt with sneakers and a baseball hat. He comments on the smell.

“We are gonna be dealing with this for the next 24 hours,” he says.

Out of comfort zone

For Steve Thomas and Cody Constanzo -- man No. 1 and man No. 2 -- smelly drain leaks are just part of the process of opening your own business.

“It is a constant state of being out of your comfort zone,” said Thomas, 29 and co-owner of Fridge & Pantry. “I would say that 90 percent of people would prefer living a conservative and predictable lifestyle but I didn’t want that. There is something about the nervous energy of opening a business that I am addicted to.”

This is Thomas’s third business endeavor. In 2011, while getting his masters degree in accounting at Miami University, Thomas decided to open Seaview Outfitters, an apparel retailer located at 22 W. Park Place in Oxford. He said he was inspired by his aunt, who owns a restaurant called the Seaview Cafe & Bar in Hope, Alaska.

“Instead of being a lifeguard or some other normal job, I decided to go to Alaska and work for my aunt,” said Thomas. “And I watched her work doing what she loves.”

'Serial entrepreneurs'

The Cleveland native received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Miami. While at Miami, he also joined the professional business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi. After the summer in Alaska before his senior year, Thomas started thinking about what business he wanted to open. He realized that there were no stores in Oxford to buy quality outerwear gear. He applied for the revolving loan fund through the City of Oxford and opened up his first business on Aug. 20, 2011.

While looking for employees, a mutual friend introduced Thomas to Constanzo, who is 27 and grew up near Toledo. The two became quick friends and Constanzo started working at Seaview Outfitters. After a couple years, the two decided to open a second storefront in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. Then in 2015, they had the opportunity to move Seaview Outfitters to its current location on High Street -- and open a second business, Root Yoga.

“I was actually an athletic training major at Miami,” said Constanzo. “This is a constant learning experience for me.”

While the two might not have had very much experience at the beginning, they have mastered their team dynamic.

“I really like working with the employees and creating a welcoming environment for everyone,” said Constanzo. “Steve is definitely more of the numbers person.”

Thomas quickly replied: “Neither of us were fortunate enough to have daddy or mommy’s credit card in college. We both work extremely hard and dedicate equal amounts of time. I also think the fact that both of us like sports and have that competitive wire in our brains pushes us to open the best business possible. We are serial entrepreneurs.”

Fridge & Pantry

Now, Thomas and Constanzo are weeks away from opening their third business, Fridge & Pantry. Fridge & Pantry will serve as a grocery store market that will also serve signature sandwiches, smoothies and hand-crafted beer. The business has been two years in the making.

“We realized that there was this void uptown,” said Thomas. “If you don’t have a car, it is extremely difficult to get your groceries. If you have a business uptown and run out of something, there isn’t a convenient place to go.”

They didn’t find the space until January, when the Mexican restaurant La Pinata closed. When they discovered a third business partner in their “business neighbor," Mark Weisman, everything fell into place. Weisman is an owner of Oxford's Brick Street Bar and Will's Pizza.

“Mark has been an incredible mentor for us,” said Thomas. “He has a similar idea as us. We wanted to make this more than just a grocery store. Like all of his establishments, it is an experience when you walk in."

Customers will be able to order beer or smoothies or sandwiches to drink and eat as they shop. They can set up a “house account” to cover purchases a month in advance. They will also be able to place online orders for pick up or delivery.

“We are trying to make student life a little easier,” said Constanzo. “If we weren’t students, we couldn’t do this.”

Although they had originally planned to open in December -- and have had three open houses for the community -- the partners are now planning for a soft opening on Jan. 2 with a full opening by Jan. 20.

Photos: Cody Constanzo (left) and Steve Thomas anticipate opening their uptown market and cafe in January. The store is located at 35 E. Church St. -- Photos by Maggie Callaghan