Dan Batus carries a tray of chocolate bunnies at MarCia’s Chocolates at 122 Greenwood Road in Altoona. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
More than Peter Cottontail is jumping as Easter approaches.
Area candy makers have spent weeks preparing for one of their busiest times of the year.
For Tyrone-based Gardners Candies, this is the company’s “biggest time of the year,” said President Joe DeStadio.
“It’s very important to our overall business,” he said, noting that the company’s stores will be busy in the final stretch leading up to Easter.
Local chocolatiers rely on Easter sales to keep their businesses afloat.
Chocolate maker Michelle Brode seals bags of bunnies at MarCia’s Chocolates in Altoona. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Easter “marks the end of our busy season in retail stores so it’s important to have a good Easter/spring season to help us through the summer months,” said the owner. of Bedford Candies Adam Wiley.
Wiley said the stop does a lot of fundraising for local schools and groups, and when spring comes around, Easter is one of the last chances for students to raise funds before the year ends. emergence
This year’s Easter season should be good for sales, he added.
“We had very strong Easter sales in 2021 and 2022, so we hope to continue that trend with another strong Easter season,” Wiley said.
MarCia’s Chocolates of Altoona said the Easter season is its second busiest time of year. The store based its production numbers on last year’s sales and spending trends recorded around Christmas and Valentine’s Day, said owner MarCia Cumming.
Chocolate maker Michelle Brode seals bags of bunnies at MarCia’s Chocolates at 122 Greenwood Road in Altoona. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
“Our customers are spending the same amount of money, maybe more, but they’re stretching their dollars,” he said.
Dutch Hill Chocolates owner Jerry Moore said Easter sales are important and probably make up about a quarter of its business for the year.
Sales are the same every year, he said, because “families want their traditional Easter candy that they grew up with.”
As a distributor, Blair Candy Co. in Altoona is also counting on solid Easter sales.
“Early April is a great time for Easter, especially now that we sell a good portion of our inventory through our online store across the USA and abroad,” said Pam Macharola. , president of the e-commerce division. “The weather is still cool enough for us to get our customers their Easter meals delivered to their door before the hit or miss of warmer weather starts later in the month.”
Macharola reported that the distributor was “running ahead last year. To be honest, it seems crazy. But a good crazy.”
Reports from local candy companies are expected, as according to a national survey consumers plan to spend a collective $24 billion on Easter this year.
A survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics says spending will top the previous record high of $21.7 billion in 2020. Of that, $3.3 billion will be spent on candy, with 81% of Americans celebrating the holiday and spent an average of $192.01, survey results suggest.
Flowers are also popular
But celebrations will also include flowers, with the survey estimating that $1.8 billion was spent in that category.
Andrea Hammel of Peterman’s Flower Shop, Juniata, is looking forward to another good spring season.
“Easter sales are up since 2020,” he said. “Most of us like to see spring flowers, bulbs and Easter lilies – especially after a long winter.”
While Easter sales don’t make up a large portion of the store’s annual sales, it prepares the business and its customers for the upcoming “big” month of May, he said.
Easter is a plant holiday for Warner’s Florists Gifts Greenhouses, Hollidaysburg, said manager Jeff Moist.
Easter lilies are a top seller and the store also sells a variety of flowers, such as tulips, azaleas and daffodils, she said, adding that plants for area churches are also big draw.
“It’s a good holiday for us,” Moist said.
Buffets are many
The holiday isn’t complete without a traditional Easter dinner, and this year restaurants don’t have to worry about COVID-19 restrictions.
The Altoona Grand Hotel will hold its annual Easter buffet from noon to 3 p.m. and guests can dine in the Courtyard or the Laurel Room, said General Manager Lindsay Danella.
“There are no restrictions this year,” he said. “Last year we had about 300, so we’re hoping to exceed that as well.”
The US Hotel in Hollidaysburg and Prime Sirloin Buffet in Duncansville offer traditional Easter buffets.
“We expect to serve about 250 at the US Hotel and more than 800 at Prime Sirloin. Business is good at Prime Sirloin,” said owner Don Delozier.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.
