Two men used stolen credit cards to buy roughly $15,000 in raw meat from Altomonte's Italian Market & Bakery, and after months of dead ends the family-owned Doylestown institution is turning to its neighbors for help.

The Grispino family posted still images of the two suspects on Facebook on Sunday, Aug. 2, asking anyone who recognizes them to contact local police or send the store a private message.

"We've spent many months working with the police and our insurance company, hoping it could be resolved privately," the store wrote in its public appeal reported by Patch. "Unfortunately, despite their efforts, these individuals have not been identified, and our business has been left to absorb a tremendous loss."

The store absorbed the full $15,000.

A family business, 55 years deep

Mike and Frances Grispino emigrated from Altomonte, a village in Calabria, southern Italy, and opened a small butcher shop called Mike's Meat Market in 1971. The business grew into the Italian market and bakery that now employs more than 250 people across locations in Doylestown at 856 North Easton Road and Warminster at 85 North York Road, according to the company's website.

Mike Grispino died Jan. 1, 2020, at age 72. The store is now run by Frances Grispino and their children, Maria Teresa Grispino Nappi and Vincent Grispino.

The family said the theft has hurt not just their bottom line but their staff. The owners wrote that their father "built this business one customer at a time, and every dollar lost to theft represents countless hours of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication by our family and our team."

How to help

The investigation remains open. Anyone who recognizes the suspects in the images posted on Altomonte's Facebook page can contact local police or send the store a private message through Facebook.

Altomonte's Doylestown store is at 856 North Easton Road; the phone number is 215-489-8889. Check the store's Facebook page for updates on the investigation and any new information about the suspects.