Local Business Owner Carries on Family’s Legacy

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CITRUSTV NEWS) — Walking into Eugenia’s General Store, customers are greeted with fresh, locally made products. Owner Micheal Mordwinkin was inspired when he went to Open Farms Day in 2018.

“Seeing the families actually come out to deliver these things in mini vans with their kids. I’m like I need to help them somehow,” Mordwinkin said.

Starting a business is challenging which is why he wanted to provide a space for them to establish their brand and name.

90% of what Mordwinkin carries is from New York State, but the other 10% are some of his childhood favorites.

The store doesn’t just sell products though, it is inspired by Mordwinkin’s grandma.

“I didn’t have a name for it. I knew the concept. I knew where I wanted to go, but I needed a logo and a store name. But it has to have meaning, it has to mean something very deep, but it has to embody all the values. I’m like of course, I am going to name it after my grandmother, ” said Mordwinkin.

For the logo, he decided on her favorite bird, which was a cardinal. For the font he kept “General Store” classic and used his grandmothers signature for her name Eugenia.

He wanted every detail to carry a piece of her — including the cardinal. It was shaped from a photograph that captured her exactly as he remembers her.

“She was on the shoreline with her dress and bonnet on and the look on her face is exactly how she approached life, ” Mordwinkin said.

Even the colors in the store tie back to her. The dark blue on walls is a nod her ’69 Skylark, the light blue on the floor matches his great-grandmothers bedroom and the red on the back wall comes from the family barn. The brick accents though, were his special touch.

“All of the bricks you start from nothing and all the ideas that you have come in to build the foundation of who are, but it works the other way to because the foundation of your family and who you are spreads back to the community as well, ” Mordwinkin said.

That family foundation plays a big role in how he welcomes his customers.

“I start counting my register at my time, but if I have customers I don’t I don’t want them to feel rushed, I don’t want them to feel like they have to leave. They are not a burden to me, they are welcome here at anytime. I want them to feel like this is home, ” Mordwinkin said.

The care he shows his customers is the same care his grandmother showed him. This store is one of the many ways he carries on the values she taught him.

“It immortalizes her. She keeps going. People never go away and they live on as long as they keep their memory alive, so maybe they are gone, but they have moved on and they live through us,” Mordwinkin said.

That’s what the store is really about — keeping Eugenia’s spirit alive in every person who walks through the door.

Reporter: Sofia DeStaso