COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Colorado Springs has a lot of locals with ties to other countries. It may be where they are from, a place they have visited, or somewhere they served while in the military. It creates a business opportunity in the form of international specialty shops.
German-style rye bread is what and why Wimberger's Old World Bakery and Deli got its start.
"My in-laws started in 1970 on West Colorado Avenue because my mother-in-law did not like American bread," said owner Uli Wimberger.
An Italian sausage tradition brought from Italy to southern Colorado and still sold to this day is the origin story of Mollica's Italian Market and Deli.
"We are Sicilian, and it's one of those stories where grandma met grandpa overseas and then came here," said Chris Mollica of Mollica's Italian Market and Deli.
"They wanted to share the sausage, that was the biggest thing was the sausage recipe," said his sister Donna Veggeberg.
A Bit of Poland opened just a few years back because a Polish family transplanted to southern Colorado for a job was missing their food traditions.
"There really wasn't any here in the Springs so we wanted to try something, see if we could help out and bring that taste a bit of Poland here to Colorado Springs," said Mikolaj Janusz, whose family owns A Bit of Poland.
All three started small and have expanded because of demand. More than eateries, these places are specialty shops for food imports.
"We have a lot of people in there all the time saying this is the only place they can find a certain item," said Veggeberg.
"It's been strictly word of mouth. Our customers are very, very loyal," said Wimberger.
"A TV show comes out with a certain recipe somebody will watch it and they're curious they come in," said Mollica.
The customer base in southern Colorado is diverse. Some have moved here from other countries, many are military people who have served overseas, and others showed up at the specialty shops, tried the food, and keep coming back.
"They come all the way from Pueblo, we have people coming from Salida, we have people coming on a weekly basis from Buena Vista," said Wimberger.
"Woodland Park has a little bit of Polish population, Manitou, so all over the place really," said Janusz.
Importing items can be challenging.
"We have to buy with a middleman. You cannot just call Germany and say, Hey, I need this," said Wimberger.
"There are times where you can get it and then you know the next month you're not able to get it," said Veggeberg.
Stocking the Polish store requires a road trip to Chicago every three to four weeks.
"Chicago being a hub for everything Polish in America, they have all the Polish distributors, and we get it from them," said Janusz.
For all these store owners, the international connection has created a community connection.
"I have to say my customers are so important. They bring their children in, their grandchildren now, great grandchildren are coming," said Wimberger.
"They're happy to find things and I feel like we have a lot of friends because of that because they come in they want to talk to you, they want to ask you questions about everything," said Veggeberg.
Shop owners say they try to carry the things people want most, and if they do not have it, customers can request it and they will see if they can find it.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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