Farmingdale's Sweet City 'Dramatically' Impacted By Coronavirus

FARMINGDALE, NY — The coronavirus pandemic has been nothing but bitter for Sweet City Snacks & Candy Co., a Farmingdale-based retailer and wholesaler of sweet and salty favorites.

The business, which also goes by Hardscrabble Wholesale, is a purveyor of snacks such as chocolate, Combos, soda, water, and its Brooklyn Delights-branded brownies and cookies. The 848 Main St. warehouse serves as a walk-in for customers looking to pick up a box of snacks or a truck-loading station for the nearest school or convenience store. However, sales are down by roughly 48 percent since the pandemic began, Frank Raimondi, a president of the business, told Patch.

When asked how the outbreak has impacted the family business, Raimondi, 42, said "dramatically."

The business has been around for more than 25 years and in Farmingdale for six.

During COVID-19, Raimondi lost a full warehouse — $200,000 — worth of goods due to the sell-by date of products. That quashed any plans Sweet City had of upgrading from its current 3,000-square-foot digs to a 30,000 square-foot warehouse, according to Raimondi.

When the pandemic began, Raimondi took a wait-and-see approach. With the decreased foot traffic into the store and school cafeterias ordering fewer snacks, sales suffered.

"You never take anything for granted," Raimondi said. "You lose everything in a matter of months. We did. Every product that we sell has a date on it, so it’s only good for a certain amount of time. The candy, the cakes, the Twinkies. It’s only a matter of time that you have, and the clock is ticking every day. The pressure is unbelievable. You couldn’t even walk in this warehouse [before the pandemic]."

Once a warehouse's worth of goods were nearly at their expiration, Raimondi didn't want to throw them in the trash; he wanted his stock to go to a good cause. The food was donated to soup kitchens, churches and hospitals.

"It went to the hospital workers who are doing an amazing job during such a horrific, horrific time," Raimondi said.

Sweet City was in danger of closing due to the virus, according to the president. May and June were the toughest months, as over the course of COVID-19, the store's staff was trimmed from eight to four.

"We didn’t know what to do," Raimondi said.

He had to adapt. The store installed a walk-up window so customers could visit the store without having to enter it. More goods are being sold online. The store turned to its Brooklyn Delights confections to carry the load of sales. HEPA filters are everywhere throughout the building, which is sanitized daily, Raimondi said.

Prior to the pandemic, Sweet City had a steady stream of customers and 18 trailers each week picking food up. But throughout it all, Raimondi says he never raised his prices. The store aimed to help Farmingdale by stocking water, paper towels, toilet paper and Lysol.

"We are a community-based business more so now than ever before," Raimondi said. "We’ve always been, but we’re really emphasizing it more now."

As for his approach going into 2021 and the coronavirus pandemic still in play, Raimondi said he's trying to remain positive.

"I’ve been in this business myself for over 20 years," he said. "I’ve never seen anything like this where every month, somebody else closes. Another one of my customers is gone. Even my rivals and competitors. I don’t want to see them go out of business, because it’s not what we’re about here. We’re not about taking advantage of people or trying to screw the competition that much. We want to do good business the right way."

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