Page 28 - Indulge November 2017

GIRL TALK
Photo by Sarah EvansQACHATS WITH LEHIGH VALLEY MOVERS AND SHAKERS
SIA BASSIL Meet Sia Bassil, owner of
The Carmelcorn Shop, Easton.
By Linda Doell
What started out as a teen’s first job has grown into a
lifelong passion for this month’s Valley Girl.
When she heard the announcement at her school that
The Carmelcorn Shop was looking for workers, Sia Bassil
thought that could be just the thing she was looking for.
“It was 1977, I was 14 and looking for a job I could walk
to,” she says. She worked there on and off for years and
then when the business came up for sale in 1996, she and
her husband, Tony, bought it — instead of taking a 10th
wedding anniversary trip. “The rest is history,” she says.
Sia and her family emigrated from Lebanon to
the Lehigh Valley when she was 4 and she grew up in
downtown Easton. She is the proud mom of three grown
children: Theresa, who lives in Lebanon with husband Nabil
and daughter Antonia; Jessica, who is in New York City; and
Tony, who is a student at Northampton Community College.
28 | INDULGE LV • NOVEMBER 2017
The Carmelcorn Shop has been open since 1931 and
become a staple in the square in downtown Easton. A
walk into the store is almost like stepping back in time
to the vintage candy stores of the last century.
Here, a day can be made little brighter with
something sweet.
“I have the original cookbooks,” Sia says. “I still use
them. We also still sell old time novelties.” During the recent
recession, customers thanked her for keeping the business
going during the rough times.
“ ‘Coming here makes us feel good,’ ” she says they
would tell her. “For them to say that — that meant a lot.”
Sia has branched out with new items too — this year
is the first the shop is offering red candy apples for fall.
Then there’s the specialty handmade chocolate covered
strawberries. “I’m very picky about the strawberries. I think
that’s why the demand has gone up. They are done that
morning before a customer picks them up. I make sure
everything is fresh when it leaves here.”
She took time out her busy schedule to answer a few
questions for Indulge.
Q: What drew you to your career?
A: “I love what I do, and I love the service we offer
to our customers. I love to hear the stories about their
grandparents and parents bringing their children in. I served
this kid’s great-grandparents. It’s a great place to meet
people all the time.”
Q: What advice could you give someone who is
considering a similar career path?
A: You must be committed not only to the business
but to the customers as well. Hard work, patience and
commitment to the customers all make for a good business.
Q: What’s your favorite part of the job?
A: When I see my customers coming back. I know what
they are going to order and start getting their orders ready
when I see them coming. When customers tell me, ‘I got this
last time and it was great’ and they bring their kids, when I
see their families grow, it’s great to share that. It’s not like
you’re just a number. My employees always say ‘thank you’.
I’m thanking them for making a purchase and they say to me,
‘No, thank you.’ It makes me feel like it’s all worth it.
Q: If you could tell women anything about running a
business, what would you say?
A: As a woman, I’m probably old-school. I try to cover
everything. A woman who runs a business and succeeds and
also raises a family, has to be special and gifted … but don’t
ever forget the family you have. I just don’t think a person
should put everything they have in their business. They should
have a life outside the business.
Q: What do you like to do to relax?
A: What is that? (laughing) I relax when I know that
holiday orders are out and cleared. I like spending time with
my family. I like cooking; making whole meals. I read when I
have the time. Even just getting in the car and taking a ride,
that’s relaxing to me.