One Family, Two Businesses

Over the past few decades, families have trended toward having both parents working full-time jobs. The Bernsteins have stayed ahead of that curve. For nearly 20 years, the Lafayette Hill residents have not only both worked full-time jobs; they’ve also both owned and operated their own businesses.

Howard Bernstein started Nuts to You, a gourmet nut and candies shop, 35 years ago, and now has stores in both Center City and his native Northeast Philadelphia. His wife Renay, originally of Penn Valley, joined him as a business owner 18 years ago, when she opened at 412 Germantown Pike. 

“I think my husband wanted to put me to work,” Renay jokes. “He decided that I wasn’t working hard enough.”

The store had previously operated as greeting card/gifts/gift basket store for 22 years. When the Bernsteins bought it, they decided to continue with gifts and gift baskets, but in lieu of greeting cards, they decided to add bulk nuts and candies.

“Since my husband owns Nuts to You, we decided to put half of the store into dried nuts and goodies, and then evolve the gifts side,” Renay says. “We stock trendy gifts, back to school items, hostess gifts, tabletops. You can buy a trendy bowl, and then buy some of our goodies to put into it, which allows you to incorporate the two aspects of the store. We do huge amounts of gift baskets and trays, both custom and premade, and we deliver all over the area.”

Renay makes sure to exploit the connection with Nuts to You, and has even posted a sign in the front window that indicates it is Touch of Class’s sister store.

“Nuts to You wouldn’t be around so long if the product wasn’t so great. We ship all over the world to various professional athletes and people in the movie industry,” she says. “When customers come in the store, I let them know my husband roasts the nuts.”

That being said, Touch of Class has more to offer than Howard’s product. The gifts side of the store and evolved over time, and all the merchandise is specially selected by Renay herself.

“I like picking out the merchandise and being creative,” she says. “I usually try to follow the trends, or I try to have a price point and find items that fit where the customer spending is at.”

With all that goes into running two separate businesses, work undoubtedly tends to take over a large part of the Bernsteins’ lives. Renay acknowledges it can be difficult, but also indicates time spent with their two children offers them a rejuvenating respite from the demands of business ownership.

“”We both work six, seven days a week, so it can be difficult,” she says. “It takes over our lives, our dinner conversation. Even though they are separate businesses, they are very entwined. We try to minimize it. We have two little kids, so we try to spend as much time with them as we can, going mini golfing or taking them to their various activities or sporting events.”