Kamaji posted:
"Leonard opened his first dairy store in his native Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1969 after serving as a milkman for his family’s dairy business for several years.
The 17,000 square foot store — which originally only carried just eight items — earned the “World’s Largest Dairy Store” title at Ripley’s Believe It or Not, as well as the place in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest dollar sales per square foot of selling space."
Before Stew Leonard gained the money to build the first big store (which was in walking distance from my house in the late 60's), his family had run a small dairy business named "Clover Farms" in Norwalk. I remember my parents stopping there on weekends, there was a vending machine outside. Put in a couple of quarters, and out would come a half gallon of milk!
Then the state took their land for "the new Route 7" (which was held up for years in court, they took a little of my grandparents' property, as well).
I think Stew used his share of the money to start the new store that eventually became the bigger one...