SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Customers at a popular South Springfield bakery have given new meaning to the term “neighborhood.”
When customers realized the Italian bread shop on Orange Street in the South End needed work, they volunteered to start making the landmark look like new. Their commitment is the result of being long-time customers, loving the bread they bake there, and having a long relationship with owner Jose Santos. Avis Vincenzi and Lorenzo Gaines feel that what they are doing is giving back to a dear friend.
“I paint and clean and felt I had to be here to help the family,” Avis said.
“They’ve been around for a long time, when people find it hard to step in and show them that you care about them, so I think what took us out was we had grinders on their bread,” Lorenzo told 22News.
This devotion to customers deeply touched bakery owner Jose Santos, who shared his gratitude with 22News through fellow customer, Springfield State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez.
“Very satisfied and grateful for all the people who came as well as the community that I have always supported,” said Gonzalez.
These renovations to the Italian bread shop on Orange Street will be completed by customer labor in three or four days, a shining example of how an iconic neighborhood business has bonded so deeply with its shoppers and admirers. In a few days, the fifty-year-old Italian bakery in the South End neighborhood of Springfield will look brand new.
