'Surviving is winning': Tom's Market in Warrenville endures through tough times

Squeezed between corporate grocery chains and discount retailers, Tom's Market in Warrenville stands as a beacon of determination.

As the number of mom-and-pop grocery stores dwindles throughout the country, it's the brave few who enter and stay in a market that grows tougher every day. At Tom's Market, co-owners Nick Kostopoulos and Rob Perri lean on a loyal customer base and a fierce sense of independence to keep the doors open.

"Surviving is winning," Kostopoulos said. "We're keeping our dukes up against the big guys. We're dealing with inflation and costs through the roof. There's supply issues. It's been one madness after another, especially for the last year."

Kostopoulos, 44, said he always wanted to run a grocery store. He spent the bulk of his adult life in real estate before opening the Honeymilk restaurant in 2017 in Warrenville.

Over the next few years, Kostopoulos got to know the owners of the nearby Family Foods, at 2S501 Route 59 in the Warrenville Commons shopping center, which eventually became Tom's Market.

Family Foods was a small chain that gradually shrank. With the owners getting ready to retire, they sold the Warrenville location to Kostopoulos and Perri, who knew Kostopoulos from Addison Trail High School and had spent decades working for Caputo's Fresh Markets.

They took over the grocery store in 2019, keeping the Family Foods name while they invested in site improvements. In December 2020, they unveiled the Tom's Market changeover, naming the store after Kostopoulos' supportive father.

Since then, it's blossomed into a true family business. Perri's son runs the deli department while Kostopoulos' four young children pitch in by working the cash register and bagging groceries.

Katie Kostopoulos, Nick's wife of 13 years, also helps out while handling the kids' tricky schedules.

"They love it, but they keep bugging me about when they'll get paid," Kostopoulos said with a laugh. "Sometimes there's three generations of us running around. You can't get the mop out of my mom's hand."

While not the size of a Mariano's or Walmart, Tom's Market is still a handful at 40,000 square feet. The owners doubled the size of the produce department and upgraded the deli with homemade sausages, bratwurst, fried chicken and other staples. Fresh doughnuts are made daily in the bakery.

They've worked hard to blend the business into the community. The Tom's Market parking lot is the home of summer car shows and also hosted a petting zoo with pony rides. For the holidays, Santa and his elves were brought in for free pictures with families.

If there's something to support in the community, Tom's Market wants to contribute, the owners said.

"The community has been very supportive of us, and we're thankful for that," Kostopoulos said. "We've brought some life to the area, but we're constantly pivoting to see what works and what doesn't. We have to keep that excitement going."

As for the future, Kostopoulos plans on doing whatever it takes to keep the store going.

Even as the owners fight bigger competitors, inflation, supply-chain issues, labor shortages and much more, they're digging in.

"I'd love to have this store to pass on to the next generation, but it's a lot of work," Kostopoulos said. "It's evening and weekends. I'm on my feet for 30,000 steps a day over here.

"We plan to be here for the long haul, but it's not easy," he added. "Like everyone else, we just need a little bit more traffic."