By ELLEN KOLMAN - Staff Writer - ekolman@starbeacon.com
ASHTABULA — Albino’s Fish Market is an Ashtabula icon with a passion for people.
“I am 81 years old and still working. It is the people; you got to be good to people,” said Albino Volpi, owner of the fish market, located at 2244 Lake Ave., since 1980.
In 1961, Volpi opened Albino’s Meat Market. In 1980, Volpi’s son Tom took over the meat market, and Albino opened his fish market.
Volpi has been married to his wife, Eunice, for 57 years and readily tells his customers he is still in love.
“She is a good wife. She spoils me,” he said.
John Paolillo, of Ashtabula, has been coming to the fish market for as long as he can remember.
“He (Volpi) is like a relative to me. The longer you stay here, the more you go home with,” Paolillo said. “He will say: ‘Here try this. Take this home for the kids.’ I don’t know how he stays in business.”
It is loyal customers like Paolillo, and fresh-fish lovers who drive from far away, who have sustained Albino’s all of these years.
In fact, Volpi keeps a diary of out-of-town customers, and he has had customers from Washington, D.C., Sarasota, Fla., Youngstown, Beaver Falls, Pa., and more.
“It is the fresh high-quality seafood we sell and our reasonable prices,” Volpi said. “You got to keep the prices down to keep going in this economy. You got to be fair with the people.”
It is Volpi’s passion for people that keeps him coming to work.
“I love to see the children,” Volpi said. “All my customers are good people.”
Elix Perez, of Ashtabula, has been a customer at Albino’s Fish Market for as long as she can remember, and that’s because her parents were customers when she was young.
“I like coming here,” Perez said, as she purchased some Goya food items.
Along with a store full of fish, squid, shrimp and crab, Albino’s also sells a full line of Goya foods.
“King crab and snow crab are still very popular here,” Volpi said.
But the snapping turtle in the aquarium is not for sale.
“That is Josephine, and she is a pet. The kids just love coming to see her,” Volpi said. “I love all animals.”
For further information, contact Albino’s Fish Market (440-998-1154) or Albino’s Meats and Catering ( 440-997-0791). The latter is located at 2316 Lake Ave.
