Warminster Businessman Still Thriving With Long-Running Store

From 1989 to about 2004, Dominic Puglia owned American Speedy Printing in the Warminster Shopping Center in the 500 block of York Road. Next door was , a business that began in the late 1950s.

"My bookkeeper's husband owned it and sold it to a young guy. He was always complaining that he didn't have enough time to spend his money. One day I got upset with him and said 'Tell me what you bought it for and I'll buy it,'" said Puglia.

With many printing companies starting to struggle, that's exactly what Puglia did. And he says the former owner of Atomic wasn't lying about his success.

"I sold the printing company and it turned out to be true," he said. "He said, 'It's a money-making business.' He said, 'You won't get rich but you won't starve."

Puglia says one reason for the 40-plus-year longevity of Atomic is that there's not much competition.

"There's no competition from department stores, " he said. "They don't service anything and we service everything they sell. ... I can fix almost any vacuum or sewing machine."

Do folks get their vacuums repaired as much as they used to?

"The smart ones do," Puglia replied. "You pay $300 to $400 for a good vacuum and it only costs about $50 to get it fixed. It makes sense to do it."

In addition to repairing vacuums, Puglia sells them. While he offers such brands as Hoover, Dirt Devil, Bissell, Electrolux, Kirby and Eureka, he says Panasonic is the "best dollar for dollar" product, starting at about $250.

"Oreck and Dyson are overpriced," he added.

Puglia also sells and repairs sewing machines, which prompts a similar question as earlier: Do folks still sew very much?

"There was a real lull for a while," Puglia acknowledged. "But there's been a real resurgence the last two or three years. And young people are sewing." Sewing machines have "gotten very electronic and computer driven" over the years, he added.

Puglia's recommendation on the sewing side are new Simplicity models, which start as low as $199.

"They're the only one left with a metal chassis," he explained.

Puglia also sells refurbished machines from Singer, Kenmore, Brother, Pfaft and Viking. And he has a large inventory of parts and supplies for sewing machines and vacuums.

Another reason the 61-year-old Puglia thinks his business thrives is that he is a Warminster resident who has been involved with the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club.

"I just got to know so many people here. It's home," he said.