Statesville's Best
GELATO
Inspired by
TRADITION
Welcome to the Gondolier, your own little taste of Italy right here in Statesville, North Carolina. Our authentic, made in-house gelato and chocolate treats are inspired by tradition, with delicious flavors for every palate. Located conveniently in central Statesville, we are excited to offer our homemade products to our community.
So come and sample our gelato, chocolates, and pastries, or pick up a breakfast package on your way to work. Here, we're all family.
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Rooted in
HISTORY
Gene Konczal, the founder of The Gondolier, was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. Gene graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration majoring in accounting. After graduation he spent some time in the service and then immediately began his career in accounting working for several different manufacturing companies as general accountant, Controller and CFO. It was a career that spanned 50+ years and took Gene from Ohio to Brazil, back to Ohio and finally to his adopted hometown of Statesville, NC.
While the career in manufacturing was in many ways rewarding and provided some great learning experiences it never satisfied an itch that Gene has had since an early age. That itch was to own and operate his own business. The genesis of that itch was the Corner Store and Corner Hamburg at the corner of Dorr and Turner streets in Toledo, Ohio. It was owned and operated by Gene’s maternal grandparents very successfully. Gene’s grandfather, although possessing only a sixth-grade education, seemed to intuitively know how to run a business and invest wisely. A testament to that was that although his name was Walter, everyone called him Wisey.
Gene learned some valuable insights from Wisey such as “give the people what they want rather than what you want”; “get into a recession proof business….people eat every day”; “don’t give credit….if they can’t pay you today they are not likely to pay you back in the future”; “buy land….they aren’t making any more of it”; “get them into the store with a deal…they will buy something else”. And many others.
The Gondolier hopes to give the people what they want….enjoyment. The Gondolier would not exist if The Corner Store & Corner Hamburg had not existed. They are pictured on the wall inside The Gondolier as a tribute to the inspiration they provided.
We hope you ENJOY The Gondolier!
Vision
The vision of the Gondolier is to find locations where the enjoyment of edible delicacies is underserved and fill that niche.
Mission
The mission of the Gondolier is to create enjoyment by providing edible delicacies in an inviting environment.