逆境中的美国小业主们
I think this morning there was, like, 500 or 550 French breads. Then that doesn't include the larger, the small rye, the pumpernickel, the Russian rye, all the other breads that we might produce; the Kaiser rolls.
-Good morning. How are you?
I'm Esther Erdossy and I am president and owner of the Egypt Star Bakery of Allentown, Pennsylvania. No matter where you go, everyone usually has heard of Egypt Star Bakery. They know about our hearth-baked rolls and our breads and that's what we're really known for here in the Lehigh Valley.
We have approximately 40 employees; we have bakers, bakers' helpers, drivers, clerks and actually, no matter what job you have, if you're needed someplace else, you're expected to go there and do whatever is needed and that's part of the small business.
I know by the number of applications that I do get or people calling asking if we have a full time position available, because they might have lost their job or have been, their hours have been cut considerably or maybe even their benefits have been cut and so they're looking for some place where they can acquire those things.
We don't lay people off; they usually have their jobs, their hours might get cut a little bit during the summer when our load isn't quite as heavy. But normally our employees are here to stay.
There are weeks we live paycheck to paycheck like everyone else. But we've been fortuante that, I guess maybe people come to us instead of paying the higher prices at the bigger chained grocery stores. So they come here and they figure they can have just as good a quality and not pay as much price-wise.
Money's very tight right now. Banks aren't too interested in loaning you money right now. You just tighten your belt or, as an owner, you don't take a paycheck to--so that you can see that all of your employees have been paid.
I'm pretty happy. I mean, the economy has been sluggish, but the bakery--we've not taken much of a hit. My girlfriend and I moved up here and I got a job up here and now she's my wife, and working here has allowed us to save up the money to afford a house. I owe it all to this bakery.
My hope is that we can continue to bake and to sell and to service the public with the kind of products that they're used to.
