About us
Pete & Frank’s Fruit Ranch has come a long way since
its founding in 1954. Starting off as an open-air market on what
was then an empty lot on 9 Mile and Kelly, the first Pete &
Frank’s could hardly ask for more humble beginnings. At the
time, Pete & Frank’s was a combination plant nursery and
fruit market, though at this early juncture, it couldn’t even
afford proper refrigeration. But the passionate commitment Pete
& Frank’s founder Pete Vitale had for selling the freshest
goods at the most affordable prices quickly earned him a solid reputation
among the Eastpointe community, setting himself apart from his competitors.
Popularity for his store flourished. Gradually, Pete & Frank’s
scaled back its efforts as a nursery, in favor of expanding itself
as a produce store. From its open-ended market, Pete & Frank’s
moved into a building, stocking groceries and canned goods alongside
its fruits and vegetables. Then, Pete & Frank’s suffered
a bad blow when the store went up in a freak fire accident late
one night in 1968.
Thankfully, the building had been empty when the fire broke out,
and firefighters were able to contain the blaze before it spread
to other houses, but they weren’t able to save Pete &
Frank’s from burning to the ground. Refusing to allow this
huge setback to frustrate him, Pete Vitale salvaged what he could,
and he and all his family resumed selling produce under a rented
circus tent. Slowly they built themselves back up, bigger and better
than before.
Today, Pete & Frank’s Fruit Ranch continues to maintain
Pete Vitale’s fundamental standards of low pricing for the
freshest top-quality merchandise. Our store is furnished with a
complete line of fresh fruits and vegetables, a full-service deli
counter, a complete line of meats and frozen fish, and an in-store
bakery which prepares a wide selection of hot breads and pies. In
addition, we also provide a full line of imported gourmet food items,
a diverse assortment of imported and domestic wines, and seasonal
plants and flowers.
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