|
|
|
Lois and Paul Santangelo of Long Neck, Del. made their third trip to Emmanuel’s Religious Gift Store in downtown Dover on Tuesday to do a little Christmas shopping with their neighbor, Pat Marino.
The Santangelos bought some Italian crucifixes to give away as gifts at the shop with a Catholic/Christian focus. Marino bought some rosaries for her husband.
The Santangelos were looking for a shop like Emmanuel’s because they decided to sponsor a local needy family of two parents and six children for Christmas.
The father wanted a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the folks at Mustard Seed in Milford told them about Emmanuel’s.
They have been impressed with the store and plan to keep coming back.
“He has a little bit of everything,” Paul said. “He’s passing the word of the Lord on.”
Emmanuel’s owner Steven Pate bought the bookstore from his parents five years ago, and he moved it from S. Governors Avenue to W. Loockerman Street in May.
Pate took some time out of his workday to chat with the Dover Post.
Q Can you tell us how you got into your line of work?
A I went to Catholic school first through 12th grade. I went to Holy Cross here and then my parents sent me to Salesianum. I always wanted to own my own business. I didn’t think it would be a Catholic store. I was a credit analyst for a while at Bank of America. My parents are in their late 60s and they were ready to retire. They were never in the red. They had 10 years of built-in clientele. It was a no-brainer.
Q What are the most popular items you sell?
A Rosaries seem to sell al lot, then the [saint] metals, the crucifixes, then Bibles. They are my four things that keep the retail going. The pictures – not as much. It’s predominantly Catholic based but it spreads into the span of Christianity. I just kept the tradition that my parents had started. My sister researched and found there really wasn’t a Catholic/Christian shop for miles. So, I kept that.
Q What do you like most about your work, and what do you like least?
A The thing I like the most is filling the spiritual needs of each customer. You never know what people are coming in to look for. You have to be sympathetic. When I see the younger people coming in that makes me think, ‘You’re in the right field.’ There are some negatives. It’s not as busy as I would like. It pays for the bills here and brings home the milk and the bread, but it doesn’t bring the whole meal. Right now, my wife is the breadwinner. I can accept that. It’s in God hands. But now I have two children; it’s hard.
Q What developments do you see in the future of religious retail?
A I need a presence on the Internet. And I feel like I need to reach the teens more. I feel like they’re crying out. I get that sense that they’re wanting something more. They’re kind of tired of the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. They’re craving something spiritual and religious. Slowly, the tide is turning.
Lois and Paul Santangelo of Long Neck, Del. made their third trip to Emmanuel’s Religious Gift Store in downtown Dover on Tuesday to do a little Christmas shopping with their neighbor, Pat Marino.
The Santangelos bought some Italian crucifixes to give away as gifts at the shop with a Catholic/Christian focus. Marino bought some rosaries for her husband.
The Santangelos were looking for a shop like Emmanuel’s because they decided to sponsor a local needy family of two parents and six children for Christmas.
The father wanted a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the folks at Mustard Seed in Milford told them about Emmanuel’s.
They have been impressed with the store and plan to keep coming back.
“He has a little bit of everything,” Paul said. “He’s passing the word of the Lord on.”
Emmanuel’s owner Steven Pate bought the bookstore from his parents five years ago, and he moved it from S. Governors Avenue to W. Loockerman Street in May.
Pate took some time out of his workday to chat with the Dover Post.
Q Can you tell us how you got into your line of work?
A I went to Catholic school first through 12th grade. I went to Holy Cross here and then my parents sent me to Salesianum. I always wanted to own my own business. I didn’t think it would be a Catholic store. I was a credit analyst for a while at Bank of America. My parents are in their late 60s and they were ready to retire. They were never in the red. They had 10 years of built-in clientele. It was a no-brainer.
Q What are the most popular items you sell?
A Rosaries seem to sell al lot, then the [saint] metals, the crucifixes, then Bibles. They are my four things that keep the retail going. The pictures – not as much. It’s predominantly Catholic based but it spreads into the span of Christianity. I just kept the tradition that my parents had started. My sister researched and found there really wasn’t a Catholic/Christian shop for miles. So, I kept that.
Q What do you like most about your work, and what do you like least?
A The thing I like the most is filling the spiritual needs of each customer. You never know what people are coming in to look for. You have to be sympathetic. When I see the younger people coming in that makes me think, ‘You’re in the right field.’ There are some negatives. It’s not as busy as I would like. It pays for the bills here and brings home the milk and the bread, but it doesn’t bring the whole meal. Right now, my wife is the breadwinner. I can accept that. It’s in God hands. But now I have two children; it’s hard.
Q What developments do you see in the future of religious retail?
A I need a presence on the Internet. And I feel like I need to reach the teens more. I feel like they’re crying out. I get that sense that they’re wanting something more. They’re kind of tired of the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. They’re craving something spiritual and religious. Slowly, the tide is turning.
