Danny Sulejmani outside Yolanda’s on Hawthorne Avenue in Derby.
DERBY — Driton “Danny” Sulejmani sliced prosciutto and provolone cheese inside Yolanda’s Bakery & Deli while making a sandwich for a patron on a sunny Monday afternoon, then sold a fresh loaf of Italian bread to another.
“Have a good day buddy,” Sulejmani said with a smile as one man left the small bakery, deli and neighborhood grocery at 17 Hawthorne Ave. “Enjoy the beautiful weather.”
This month marks Sulejmani’s 25th anniversary of owning and operating the store he bought from his uncle, Agim, though the old school neighborhood grocery first opened over 50 years ago under the ownership of Biagio and Yolanda Bartone.
Aside from baking bread and rolls daily, Yolanda’s bakes Italian pastries and pies. Its deli case is full of cold cuts and the menu behind the counter advertises hot and cold sandwiches.
A freezer near the entrance has an assortment of ice cream and the refrigerator on a side wall chills cold drinks.
Yolanda’s shelves are stocked with grocery items like bottled sauces, dressings, bags of sugar and canned goods.
“We have a lot of unique food, a lot of Eastern European food, Italian and Spanish American groceries,” Sulejmani said.
The latter items were added by Sulejmani, who was born in Ohrid, Macedonia. He first came to the U.S. in 1988 and became an American citizen in 1998.
He learned the work ethic it takes to run a small business as a full-time employee of Brother Bruno’s Pizza, Deli & Bagels in New Jersey at age 16.
The restaurant, located near William Paterson College, was busy around the clock. Sulejmani made pizza and sandwiches from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. and only had Wednesdays and Saturdays off.
“I learned a lot,” he said. “I always wanted my own place.”
Sulejmani bought Yolanda’s from his uncle when he was 21-years-old. The closing was on May 16, 1994, the same day Sulejmani married his wife, Vlora.
The couple has three children. The two oldest, daughters Ardita and Leonora, are in college and son, Drilon, is six.
Vlora and Sulejmani’s parents, father Esat and mother Qibaret, work together to run Yolanda’s, which is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Among the changes Sulejmani has done to the business over the years are the addition of the unique grocery items and preparing orders of three-foot-long subs for parties.
Yolanda’s is busy during Super Bowl week and the holidays, when families buy its pies and other baked goods.
Yolanda’s Bakery & Deli has steady business from the neighborhood, as well as patrons outside of Derby.
“I get people from as far as North Haven, Milford, Hamden and Fairfield,” Sulejmani said. “You have to listen to your customers. That’s how you succeed. We don’t hesitate to give the customer what the customer deserves.”
To that end, Sulejmani said he tracks his best selling products and keeps those items well stocked to avoid running out and leaving his customers disappointed.
When he makes a sandwich, Sulejmani does not skimp on the ingredients.
“I don’t count,” he said. “I go by the eye. I often tell my customers, ‘my main mission when I make a sandwich is for you to be happy. If you’re not satisfied with your sandwich, I’m not happy.’”
