How sweet it is

Last Saturday, after celebrating the Village of Monroe’s 125th anniversary, local officials, area residents and Orange County’s Chamber of Commerce members witnessed another local milestone as a new business opened on Lakes Street – the “Lovebites Chocolate Shoppe.”

The brainchild of Monroe Town Councilman and local businessman Sal Scancarello, the new shop offers all sorts of chocolate creations as well as handcrafted small-batch ice cream, according to Scancarello.

And the shoppe’s name?

“It came to me while I was sitting on the couch,” said Scancarello. “It just popped into my head after the whole family had been thinking of a name for weeks.”

A Monroe resident for nearly 25 years, Scancarello remembers when the village was a great place to shop and “just stroll around.”

“People were everywhere," he recalled. "All the store fronts were full. But over the years, things have obviously changed as ‘big box’ stores have played a major role in so many village buildings being vacant.”

Taking stock of the situation, both as village resident and councilman, three months ago, Scancarello suggested that his 23-year-old daughter Vittoria investigate a small, empty storefront on Lakes Street.

Soon after, she opened her own shop, Amity Beauty.

And when the store next door down became available, Scancarello and his wife Christine quickly rented the location and prepared to open the chocolate shop, with Christine as owner/operator.

“I care deeply about this,” the councilman said. “My family and I are investing back in Main Street America. Both businesses have been extremely successful since opening and I am hoping that this trend continues to improve the village.”

- Bob Curtis