SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – “How do you say grilled peppers in Italian,” I asked Nicolla Assante inside his market.
“Peperoni grigliati,” he replied in the prefect Italian accent.
Assante Italian Market may be in South Whitehall Township, but it’s filled with the sounds, smells and tastes of Italy.
The business is set to mark its one-year anniversary November 5th, but for owner Assante, it’s more concern than celebration.
“The Italian word you would use to describe the situation outside?” I asked Assante.
“Casino caldo. It just means a hot mess,” he smiled.
Construction along Tilghman Street has shaved total business by 30% since July, impacting shops up and down the street.
“We have customers that would come in here like once, twice a week, and now they come here maybe once a month. And they tell us themselves that they just avoid the area completely because they don’t want to deal with the traffic,” he added.
“Sometimes, I’m not sure where I’m turning. I missed but I have to then turn around again,” said Janice Wilson.
Despite detours, Wilson remains a loyal customer at Perfectly Frank Hotdog Shoppe. Owner Christina Williams says Wilson is a rarity.
“Profits are down 50 to 60% and it’s just not sustaining,” Williams said.
Her grandparents founded Potts’ Hot Dogs. Williams renovated and rebranded her shop 6 years ago but is now afraid the final writing is on the wall.
“This is the quintessential mom and pop shop. So, when you have a business like this, it really turns into another family member. I’ve been here for 16 years. My son grew up here as a baby, and it would be devastating,” she said through tears.
Wild Birds Unlimited, which is next door, has been around for 30 years but current owner Heather Peterson said that’s in jeopardy. She says business is down 70% since July. She isn’t sure they can make it until December.
All the businesses we spoke to say PennDOT has not been clear on the impact or the timeline and is slow to add sign markings.
Signs signaling where to enter plazas and parking lots were just installed Friday at the request of businesses.
PennDOT did say two lane each way traffic will resume the end of November.
Adding construction along the stretch will hit phase two next spring and summer, meaning construction will return.