Community Corner

Stefano's in Mansfield a Product of Dedication, That's My Dog in Wrentham, and Other Business Stories

Bob Downey said he started doing karate to help keep him out of trouble back in the 1980s, but since then he said it’s become more than a pastime for him.

“I was a truck driver at night and I needed something to do during the day to keep me out of trouble,” he said. “I ended up falling in love with it. I met my wife there, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

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Downey, his wife and his son all work and practice at his martial arts studio Red Dragon Karate in Walpole and Norton.  He said he originally started learning the fighting style of Kemp in 1982 in Quincy.

“I started at a place in Quincy called, "East Coast Martial Arts Academy,”' he said. “I started teaching in 1984 and been doing it ever since.”

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He added learning how to teach is one of the most important things for a martial artist, as it gives a constant new look at the techniques you’re learning and teaching.


Stefano's in Mansfield a Product of Dedication

Tom Bissen has been working in the food industry for 42 years, and brought his experience to Stefano’s in Mansfield 19 years ago.

“I had been working a lot for other people for years and I figured it was time to start making the money for myself instead of making it for someone else,” he said.

Bissen bought Stefanos with all his savings in August of 1994, and it wasn’t a start he would have liked.

“It was real scary,” he said. “For the first few weeks, it was just standing here staring out the window all day hoping I didn’t make a huge mistake.”

Bissen said he and his wife looked around for a year before they picked Mansfield to make home.

“This one looked to be about the best so we took the plunge,” he said.

That's My Dog in Wrentham All About the Dogs

Michael Hogan never thought he’d be selling hotdogs on 1A in Wrentham, let alone in the food industry, but four years have gone by and That’s My Dog is still going strong.

“I’m a union painter by trade, but I was so sick of getting laid off all the time,” he said. “I met a hot dog guy in North Attleboro and it looked like fun.”

Hogan said he talked with the guy and started to get a feel for opening his own stand. He said originally he started in Easton for a year and moved to Wrentham to open at the South Street Liquor mart a little down the road. He moved to his current location, which is right down from the Wrentham Coop Bank across from the Outlet Mall.

The most unique thing about Hogan would have to be his hours. Despite the seasons, the only time he closes the stand is in January, February and March.

“I was even open for the October snowstorm in 2011,” he said with a laugh. “I have pictures of the hot dog cart with all the snow on Facebook.”

He said sometimes people who go to the outlets stop by, but he said his main clientele isn’t the out of town shoppers, but rather the locals who work at the mall or the Aggregate Industries gravel plant down on Green Street

Outlooks in Norton All About Staying Modern

Melissa Lovenbury first started cutting hair 10 years ago at the Outlooks Hair Salon, and now as the owner she’s continuing to go strong.

“I had a real strong interest in working with people and making them feel good about themselves.”

Melissa Lovenbury first started cutting hair 10 years ago at the Outlooks Hair Salon, and now as the owner she’s continuing to go strong.

“I had a real strong interest in working with people and making them feel good about themselves.”


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