Tell us a little about your shop and how it got started.

Fante’s started in 1906 as a carpenter’s shop. Over the years it evolved into imported gifts, which were a mainstay until 1983 with some bakeware and cookware added in.

In 1983 when my brothers and I took over the business the store slowly became “everything for the kitchen” and to this we added coffees, teas, and a coffee shop, which was the first in our community. That’s when “expresso” was the pronunciation and still unknown to many people.

What makes your shop or store unique within your community?

We are unique because of the large amount of cooking implements, especially gadgets and the knowledgeable staff.

What do you enjoy most about serving your customers?

Many of our customers occasionally remind me that they have been coming here since I was in high school (many, many years ago!) My older employees know a lot of them by name. Younger generations have moved in this neighborhood and many of them embrace “shopping small”. It’s a joy to interact with so many different customers of different ages and nationalities.

Which Philly Fair Trade coffee do you serve or sell, and what do your customers enjoy about it?

We sell Bella Vista, Costa Rica La Amistad, Peru Cajamarca,  Papuan New Guinea and when available Ethiopian Yirgacheffe or Guji.

What is one thing you would like more people to know about your shop?

We have a knowledgeable, friendly staff. We try to keep our prices as low as we can so that we can be competitive. We have some unusual items that we bring in directly from Italy. We sharpen your knives and teach you how to do it yourself if you’re interested. If you never made pasta, we do step by step instructions so that when you go home with your new pasta machine, you know what to do. And so on.

Please be aware that Amazon is not always the answer, and many times it’s not even cheaper.

Where can people find you in the real world and online?

Fante’s Kitchen Shop

1006 South 9 Street  (in the middle of the Italian Market)

Phila, PA 19147

www.fantes.com