Jon Greer isn't the boastful sort. When he says he's on a first-name basis with most of the customers who stop by his little Acme Deli in St. Paul, he means it. Heck, he even married one of them.
About 20 years ago, Nancy Roff was delivering mail along her Summit Avenue postal route. She'd occasionally stop for a sandwich at Uncle Matt's Deli -- Acme's precursor on Grand Avenue. Greer took his eye off the slicer long enough to take notice.
"I started tracking her and leaving Post-it Notes on her post office truck, asking her out," he says.
Now 18 years later, Greer is saying "bye-bye" to corned beef on rye. He's hanging up his apron and selling the delicatessen for family pursuits.
Four years ago, John and Nancy adopted their daughter, Ruby, from a Chinese orphanage. Next month, they'll head to Ethiopia, where daughter No. 2, 11-month-old Meseret, awaits the final paperwork before joining the family in its St. Paul home. They live closer than two blocks from Acme Deli's perch on the southwest corner of St. Clair Avenue and Brimhall Street.
"I loved being able to walk to work for the last 18 years," Greer says. "But I'm excited for this next chapter and can't wait to be home with the girls."
With Nancy working as a mental health social worker and Ruby starting kindergarten in the fall, Greer will celebrate his 50th birthday this August as a stay-at-home dad. Although he's looking for part-time work, his main focus will be Meseret, with whom he and his wife spent a few hours at the orphanage on an earlier trip to Africa last winter.
As they await the final call from the U.S. Embassy and the Children's Home Society, Greer is completing the sale of his deli. Heather Ward, who owned Carmelo's around the corner on Snelling Avenue, will take over as Acme's owner.
