McGinnis sisters, who nurtured Pittsburgh with specialty stores, to be recognized in History Center program
They could be called the dynamic three.
Sharon McGinnis Young, Bonnie McGinnis Vello and Noreen McGinnis Campbell — the sisters who owned McGinnis Sisters Special Food Stores — accomplished more than providing groceries for customers.
The McGinnis Sisters were known as leaders in the gourmet and specialty food business. They had been selling organic foods and international cuisine long before those items became trendy.
They fed the spirit of female entrepreneurs.
“My mother and my aunts were women breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry,” said Ashley Rose Young, a food historian at The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. and the daughter of the late Sharon McGinnis Young. “I love to tell their stories. I love to share their struggles and their triumphs and give insight on how in being a female business owner you often deal with sexism and racism and being an immigrant in this country.”
People can hear Ashley Rose Young talk about the strength of these women on Tuesday at a virtual event “Remembering the McGinnis Sisters: Food & Family Stories,” hosted by the Senator John Heinz History Center from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The event is free. Register here. Donations are appreciated.
Ashley Rose Young will join Vello and Campbell, for the online event, along with Jennifer Daurora, part of the third generation who ran the family business.
For McGinnis Sisters Stores, Thanksgiving was akin to the Superbowl. A holiday shopping staple for generations of Pittsburghers, McGinnis Sisters markets would be stocked with farm-raised turkeys and gourmet prepared foods in advance of Turkey Day. @AshleyRoseYoung pic.twitter.com/1XkjBTx6iS
— Heinz History Center (@HistoryCenter) November 22, 2021
Hear how Vello learned to drive a stick shift truck so at 4 a.m. she could get to the Strip District to buy produce when the sisters took over the business.
“My Aunt Bonnie was tenacious and she knew what she had to do to keep the business going,” Young said. “She put on her game face and drove to get the produce. She was probably the only woman doing that.”
Young said her mom often talked about breast-feeding her son, Patrick, while driving the produce truck.
“This is the role women had to play in this business,” Young said. “The three shared a sisterly bond and were committed to making it work.”
Young grew up working in the stores alongside her mother, aunts, siblings, and cousins.
Those attending virtually will see some of the items the family donated to the history center in 2019.
Young plans to talk about how the women listened to customers’ product inquiries and would do everything they could to get them.
After the three locations closed in 2018, Leslie Przybylek, senior curator at the history center, contacted Young, who she met through the partnership between the history center and The Smithsonian.
The collection includes photographs from decades before, papers and videos from television commercials. They also have a coffee grinder and scales and large stuffed bears from a holiday display. One of the well known items is a kielbasa wheel where customers could grab a sample while shopping.
“That wheel is a memory and a shared experience customers and the McGinnis family will recall for years to come,” Przybylek said. “It will be bittersweet to talk about the store for the family members and the customers. We are conscious of that.”
The artifacts help tell the story of a family business. In this case, that includes highlighting food and holiday traditions, which is wonderful, especially this time of the year, Przybylek said.
Young said part of her job is curating exhibitions through the lens of food. She tends to focus those exhibits on entrepreneurs, and often women owned and run businesses.
“My family’s business has shaped how I tell a story,” said Young, who was born in Whitehall and raised in Upper St. Clair. “I want to do this program to shed light on the dedication of my family. This program speaks to my heart.”
Her grandfather, James Elwood McGinnis, her grandmotehr Rosella, and Young’s mother inspired her love of food. Her grandfather opened a fruit stand in 1946. The family’s first brick-and-mortar store was on Custer Avenue in Baldwin.
Her father inspired her love of history. He was a high school history teacher in the Baldwin School District for 40 years. So when the family went on vacation it was to Williamsburg, Va., Gettysburg and to The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
Young is the host of “Cooking Up History,” the museum’s cooking demonstration series. She also co-curated the museum’s recently refreshed food history exhibition, “FOOD: Transforming the American Table.”
“I respect what my mom and aunts did,” Young said. “They created a legacy. It’s a treasure trove looking at all of these items. There is so much history here.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people and a weekly column about things to do in Pittsburgh. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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