The History of Dave's

Learning the Produce Business

Dave grew up on Federal Hill in Providence where he began working as a 13 year old boy for Vic's Fruit Stand, outside the Providence Produce Market. He started each day working odd jobs, respectively learning and absorbing all that his elders could teach him. As a natural salesman, he understood the value of active listening and believing in oneself - he enjoyed the hustle and bustle of negotiating for the best produce of that day. Vic taught him the value of honesty and integrity. And his passion for the produce business was born.

Taking a Leap of Faith

An ambitious young man, Dave left Vic's to fine tune his salesmen skills and took a position with the Magnavox Corporation in what was once the Midland Mall in Warwick. After just a year, he had saved his commissions and took a leap of faith to get back into his first love: produce. He bought a truck and began his adventure into sole proprietorship. Filling his truck each day, he determined the best corner to sell his produce was in the suburban city of Warwick - locally known as Wildes Corner.

"The Shack" Opens in Warwick

Within months, he developed a solid reputation for selling the freshest produce, at reasonable prices. With winter on the way, he gathered some boards and windows and built what is now affectionately known as the Shack - a 14 x 24 foot lean-to. It is here that Dave found what he was made of - and began to sow the roots of Dave's Fruitland and now Dave's Fresh Marketplace.

Adding a Second Store in Greenville

Through tenacious perseverance, Dave survived the next two winters in the Shack - and saved enough to move into a garage that was built on the commercial property adjacent to the Shack's location. With the help of produce friends, who loaned him a cash register, equipment and money, Dave then expanded into Greenville, RI - a small section of the town of Smithfield, in 1976. In 1978, he expanded into a new store across the street from the Shack at 2678 West Shore Rd, adding a deli, seafood, butcher and groceries. Here in this humble backroom is where our Classic Dave's Chicken Salad and Red Bliss Potato Salad began.

Growth Amid Changes in the Grocery Business

In 1972 he hired a bright young neighborhood boy named Bill Hogan. Bill quickly shared Dave's passion for the produce business and worked with Dave to embrace building solid community stores that serviced the surrounding neighborhoods.

For the next 18 years, Dave and Bill ran a smart, tight operation. They hired ambitious, hard workers; reinvesting in his two locations, where he saved before he spent, and he waited. Both he and Bill watched the world, and the economy shift gears. They watched the demise of Almac's - and vowed to not be them. Most importantly, they learned and taught themselves how to compete in the burgeoning world of superstores and supermarkets. By listening to customers, they knew quality, service and value were what customers needed most.

More Stores to Serve More Customers Across RI

Dave's Fresh Marketplace of North Kingstown opened in September 1994 - it was a slow, rough start. Customers continued to return because they respected and wanted a locally owned supermarket - especially one that could provide exceptional quality and service. It was with that encouragement and local support that buoyed Dave and Bill into opening an additional 4 locations over the next ten years - Hoxsie Four Corners, Warwick; Tower Hill Rd, Wickford; Diamond Hill, Cumberland and Division St, East Greenwich.

Since 2009, Dave opened 4 additional locations, and unfortunately, was forced to close our first North Kingstown location from 1994. Apparently, some of the big box competitors didn't value our presence in our community and bought the shopping plaza - just to control, and eventually, sever our lease. Dave's of Quonset and Dave's of Smithfield Crossings both opened in 2009; Dave's of Coventry in 2011 and Dave's 10th location was opened on Pontiac Ave in Cranston in 2017. In 2020, our West Shore Road location returned to its original corner in Warwick - taking over a closed Benny's, and refitting it with state of the art fixtures, sushi bar, pizza station and commercial kitchen.

An Organization Built on Hard Work and Dedication

Through their leadership, Dave and Bill have inspired employees to work hard, support change, actively listen and most importantly to take care of our customers. Their management staff, supervisors and buyers have worked for them an average of 30 years. This unique internal culture by today's standards is apparent in each one of our stores: a culture that borders on cult-like. With driving passion and generosity, both Bill and Dave have infectiously created a team that is loyal, hardworking and brilliant. Qualities that mirror them.

Dave's Fresh Marketplace has established a proud tradition of serving Rhode Island for more than 53 years. Our success is direct reflection of our people. They are our business.