New Fowler General Store owner speaks on goals, celebrates the community
The Fowler General Store, located at 3457 Youngstown Kingsville Road in Cortland, was slated to close its doors for good on Saturday, February 14, 2026.
However, just before this would happen, a new owner stepped in to save the building and the business.
Santino Defalco, the new owner of the store, held a community celebration on Saturday, aiming to celebrate the Fowler General Store patrons just before renovations begin.
"We're really excited to be a part of it," said Defalco.
Defalco continued," We're going to close the doors for about two to three weeks. We're going to go through some permitting and doing different things, and then we're going to restock the shelves. We're going to keep everything that everyone loves about the Fowler General Store."
Saturday's community celebration featured barbequed pork and smoked hot dogs, with a variety of sides.
Defalco says that he is very excited to be a part of the community and happy for the chance.
"This is actually my partner and I's third business. Our other businesses are a lot of online operations and things that we don't get to do and be a part of a local community. So, when we had the chance to become part of a local community, we jumped on it," said Defalco.
He says that growing up on a farm helped get him where he is today, and he wants to bring in locally-sourced goods.
"Being able to bring in products from our local producers, being able to support farmers and also being able to provide local people with local food at an affordable price," said Defalco.
Over the coming weeks, Defalco says that updates will be coming through the business's Facebook page, with the potential for another community party proposed to celebrate reopening.
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