It was a leaky rowboat that Nick, Ron, and Pete named as kids, using the first two letters of their first names and that’s how the name NIROPE was born.

The stores, Cardi’s was started as a general store by Nick, Ron, and Pete’s grandmother, Rosa. Now, some 90 years later it is among the largest furniture stores in the country, with 20 locations and hundreds of employees.

Nick, Ron, and Pete joined me on this edition of The Open Forum on AM 1540 WADK Newport.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...