Lexington Gardens Under New Ownership

By Nancy K. Crevier

It will remain “business as usual,” said Tom Johnson, announcing the sale of Lexington Gardens on Church Hill Road, Thursday, November 6, to Newtown resident Gregory Cinicolo.

“I’m really happy to have found someone I believe will continue what I and my staff have established here at Lexington Gardens the past 35 years,” said Mr Johnson, noting that the community has come to expect high quality service and access to unusual products. “Lexington Gardens is really one of the last multivaried shopping experiences in the area,” Mr Johnson added.

Mr Cinicolo said that as a software developer for the past 30 years specializing in point of sale applications, “Retail has been in my blood a long time.”

He is pleased to finally be upfront in the retail business, said Mr Cinicolo. “I’ve gone from writing systems for retail to being actually in retail. It is exciting to be in the ‘trenches’ of retailing and to have the chance to implement my ideas that I’ve gotten over the years,” he said.

His experience includes having created an information system for a large, multiple-store garden center in Milwaukee, and he plans to apply his technology to Lexington Gardens to improve on what is already a good customer experience in the store.

Customers will see no big changes as the store gears up for the holiday season, said Mr Cinicolo, but plans are underway to update cash registers and use technology to streamline inventory control and purchasing. Eventually, Lexington Gardens will offer a customer loyalty program similar to those offered by many supermarkets and other retailers to better identify and reward regular customers.

Brett Thomas, also a local resident, will join the Lexington Gardens staff as acting manager, said Mr Cinicolo, and he is pleased that Mr Johnson has agreed to stay on until spring on a part-time basis.

“People will see the same staff when they come in,” he said, “and can expect the same service and product as always.”