As opposed to other holidays in the past year, Easter has treated Chad Ecklof at Ecklof Bakery & Deli fairly well.

“The holidays previous to this, Thanksgiving, Valentines Day and Christmas, they were all less than what we expected,” Ecklof said, “but Easter has been doing pretty good for us this year.”

Ecklof attributes this holiday uptick to an increased feeling of security now that people are more comfortable to leave their homes and shop.

“I think slowly, people are getting a little more confident, they’re getting a little less cautious, so they’re getting out and shopping a little bit more,” he said. “We definitely took a big loss when this thing kicked in (the pandemic), but we do what we can to keep going.”

Pictured are Easter-themed sugar cookies, another signature Easter product at Ecklof Bakery. P-J photo by Nikk Holland

Ecklof Bakery is known for its innovative signature holiday sweets that attract customers. Ecklof believes inventiveness and creativity are important for driving business, especially during a holiday season where families are looking for treats to complement their holiday dinners.

“With Easter, we always have signature products like our fondant-covered egg cupcakes … chocolate cupcakes that have either cream or peanut butter filling, coated with our homemade fondant,” Ecklof said. “We do sugar cookies in the shape of Easter bunnies, and we took the (Easter bunny) sugar cookie cutter and started cutting donuts that way.”

At the end of April last year, Ecklof decided to temporarily close his doors, which was “pretty scary” for him. A year later, another temporary shut down is no where on the horizon since things like creative signature holiday sweets and increased customer confidence are bringing business and certainty back into Ecklof Bakery.