By Benjamin Nunnally
G
iven their focus on locally-sourced
produce, meats and goods, it would
be a little cheesy to make a pun like
“Rosie’s Gourmet 2 Go wasn’t planned —
it just grew organically.” It would also be
perfectly honest.
The family-owned restaurant took root in
another business, Wireless Expressions,
owned by Rosie’s co-founder Stacey Hardy
and her husband, Rick. The company
spanned 15 AT&T retail stores throughout
Alabama, with 57 employees on the payroll
and continued growth on the horizon. Then,
against all odds, they sold the business.
Six months prior, Hardy’s grandmother Rosie
passed away, leaving behind her six acre
farm. Hardy couldn’t bear the thought of the
land where she’d grown up being sold out
of the family, and bought the property only
meaning to keep it off the market. When
the offer came through from a larger AT&T
dealer to buy out Wireless Expressions, the
choice wasn’t immediately clear.
“Our first thought was, ‘We’re not for sale,
we’ve got a successful company, we’re not
looking to do that!’” said Hardy. “