Area candy makers have spent weeks gearing up for one of their busiest seasons of the year.

For Tyrone-based Gardners Candies, it is the company’s “biggest season of the year,” President Joe DeStadio said.

“It is very important to our overall business,” he said, noting the company’s retail stores will be busy in the final stretch leading up to Easter.

Local chocolatiers count on Easter sales to keep their businesses profitable.

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 at the retail stores so it is important to have a good Easter/spring season to help carry us through the summer months,” said Bedford Candies owner Adam Wiley.

Wiley said the stop does a lot of fundraising with local schools and groups, and when spring rolls around, Easter is one of the last chances for students to raise funds before the school year ends.

The timing of Easter this year should be good for sales, he added.

“We had very strong Easter sales in 2021 and 2022, so we are hoping to keep that trend going with another strong Easter season,” Wiley said.

MarCia’s Chocolates of Altoona said the Easter season is its second busiest time of the year. The shop bases production numbers off the previous year’s sales and spending trends recorded at 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 slightly more, but they are stretching their dollars,” she said.

Dutch Hill Chocolates owner Jerry Moore said Easter sales are important and tend to be about a quarter of its business for the year.

Sales from year to year are similar, he said, as “families want their traditional Easter candy they grew up on.”

As a distributor, Blair Candy Co. in Altoona also counts on solid Easter sales.

“Early April is a great time for Easter, especially now that we sell a good part of our inventory through our online store throughout 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 treats delivered to their door before the hit or miss warmer temps begin later in the month.”

Macharola reported the distributor is “running way ahead of last year. It’s actually kind of crazy. but a good crazy.”

The 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.

The National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics survey said that spending will top the previous record high of $21.7 billion in 2020. Of that, $3.3 billion will be on candy, with 81% of Americans celebrating the holiday and spending an average of $192.01, survey results suggest.

Flowers popular, too

But celebrations will also include flowers, with the survey estimating $1.8 billion being spent in that category.

Andrea Hammel of Peterman’s Flower Shop, Juniata, is expecting another good spring season.

“Easter sales have been elevated since 2020,” she said. “Most of us love to see spring flowers, bulbs and Easter lilies — especially after a long winter.”

While Easter sales don’t make up a huge portion of the shop’s annual sales, it prepares both the business and its customers for the upcoming “huge” month of May, she 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 shop also sells a variety of other flowers, such as tulips, azaleas and daffodils, he said, noting that plants for area churches are a big draw as well.

“It is a good holiday for us,” Moist said.

Buffets bountiful

The holiday wouldn’t be 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,” she said. “Last year we had about 300, so we are hoping to exceed that as well.”

Both the U.S. Hotel in Hollidaysburg and Prime Sirloin Buffet in Duncansville are offering traditional Easter buffets.

“We expect to serve about 250 at the U.S. Hotel and more than 800 at Prime Sirloin. Business is good at Prime Sirloin,” owner Don Delozier said.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.