‘Tradition got pushed by the wayside this year’: How these Philly businesses are fulfilling Easter needs amid a pandemic
For meats, pastries, and chocolate eggs, Cappuccio's, Isgro, and Lore's had to do things differently this year to get product in customers' hands. But they weren't going to let a scary, killer virus stop them.
With one hand Domenick Crimi pulled a cordless black telephone from a pocket under his stained white apron, while with the other he sprinkled seasoning on a roast pork he was preparing for a customer.
“Cappuccio’s,” he answered. “A few minutes, I’m getting it ready for you.”
After hanging up, he said: “Everybody wants everything yesterday."
Crimi, general manager of Cappuccio’s Meats in the Italian Market, is just one of many family-owned small businesses that has had to adapt to doing business amid COVID-19, and during one of the busiest times of year, the Easter holiday.
Inside his shop sat dozens of plastic white bags with printed receipts from Mercato.com, where people who wanted something for the holiday had to place orders, unless they emailed them directly to Cappuccio’s. Such is shopping during a pandemic and the accompanying stay-at-home directives. Customers and delivery workers stood outside while Crimi’s wife, Maria, worked to keep up with the orders coming in.
“This year is like no year I’ve ever experienced and I’ve been in this business since I was 5 years old. And I’m 60,” Crimi said.
He comes from a long line of relatives who have worked at the shop, where his 93-year-old mother grew up, for almost 100 years. He misses the camaraderie of regular customers who come in, as well as the seasonal customers who typically only shop on major holidays.
“The big thing about this year is you’re not getting the families coming in, and the family get-togethers when they shop, and the family orders,” he said, noting that people coming to the shop at the last minute is in itself a tradition.
“Tradition got pushed by the wayside this year.”
A few blocks away, Darrah O’Brien, 40, of West Philly, stood alone outside Isgro Pastries, a scarf wrapped around her face. She’s been going to the Italian neighborhood institution for its prized ricotta pie for the past 15 years. She told her kids and husband to remain in the car this year while she picked up the family’s preorder. Usually, they all go in together so they can pick out cookies, a small tradition that a scary, killer virus has forced them to skip this year.
“I just hope we get through it and it’ll be awesome when it’s over,” O’Brien said about the new way of life. “I think everyone will appreciate everything so much more.”
On a typical Saturday before Easter, the line waiting to get into Isgro is long, and the already-cramped space inside the Christian Street shop filled elbow-to-elbow. This year the white blinds on the front door were closed tight. A scribbled sign in Sharpie pointed to a door around back for Mercato, Uber Eats, and Caviar pickups. It hung askew in front of Easter decorations that included a white picket fence and an inflated bunny.
“Normally today the line would be down and around the corner,” said AJ Isgro, 30, a fourth-generation member of the baking family. “Understandably that’s not the case now. We’re not even doing a fraction of the business that we should be. But we’re just doing what we can to keep the lights on essentially.”
He emphasized that staying home and staying healthy should be everyone’s top priority. But he also hopes their bakery items are a source of light at a dark time, especially for those in quarantine or celebrating the holiday away from loved ones.
“It’s going to be definitely a down year, but 150 years in business, this isn’t going to put us out of business,” Isgro said. “We’ll adapt. We’ll overcome. We’ll figure it out.”
At Lore’s Chocolates, owners Maureen and Tony Walter had to figure out how to meet the Easter demand without their staff. They’ve gone from around 15 employees to just themselves, their kids, and a couple of volunteers. For the first time in more than 50 years, they canceled an annual open house they hold on Palm Sunday, and stopped writing names on Easter eggs because of limited staff. Maureen Walter also said she had to revise the website three times in the past couple of weeks just to keep customers apprised of changes regarding product availability.
“It’s not Easter every day,” Maureen Walter said. “There won’t be a busy candy season for quite a while. It’s important for us to meet the needs of our customers. It’s a source of happiness and joy.”
Outside her shop on Good Friday, customers pulled up in their cars, uncertain if they should get out or not. The Walters ran in and out with their bags, the bell tinkling on the door that was otherwise to remain closed.
“We’re not going to forget that we have these beautiful traditions just because of what’s going on,” Maureen Walter said.