Pasco Garafano opened Gara's in 1966. As a World War II veteran, he worked for the Army & Navy store in West Warwick, RI for a number of years before setting his sights on owning and operating his own store. It didn't take long for Gara's to become a favorite along busy Main Street in the Artic section of West Warwick.

In 1968 he was joined by his oldest son Robert and a few years after that his younger son Ronald came on board. In the 1970's, Ronald opened and ran the exclusive Canterbury's of Cranston while Pasco and Robert stayed with Gara's. While both stores have expanded and evolved with the times, they remain true family run stores with the attention to detail that you would expect to find in a family business.