Centre County pasta purveyor closed its retail shop. Here’s where products are sold now
Fasta & Ravioli Co. is moving its retail operations to State College after closing its longtime store.
The fresh-made pasta purveyor closed its Pleasant Gap retail shop Friday, Feb. 14, owner Bob Ricketts said. Fasta & Ravioli Co. will now sell its wide range of fresh pasta, ravioli and sauces through an “outpost” at Maine Bay & Berry Co.’s market at 201 Elmwood St. in State College.
“As the world changes, you’ve got to change with the world,” Ricketts told the Centre Daily Times. “Maine Bay & Berry just seems like a great partnership for more convenient shopping for our customers. [The market] had some empty space, so here we are.”
Those visiting Maine Bay & Berry’s market will now find Fasta & Ravioli Co. products inside retail display coolers and shelves where the market’s butcher once stood, which has sat vacant for some time. Ricketts said collaborating with Maine Bay & Berry was simple considering the market already sold some ravioli products.
Staffing issues, economic challenges and some other obstacles contributed to Fasta & Ravioli Co. closing its retail store in Plesant Gap, Ricketts said.
“Every since the pandemic [began], staffing has continued to be a challenge,” he said. “There used to be a contingent of high school kids who would come and close [the shop] and help out, and that seems to have gone away. The economics of having to staff retail hours just didn’t make sense for the volume of traffic we were getting.”
Although Fasta & Ravioli Co.’s core retail operations have moved to State College, the company will continue using its space at 157 W. College Ave. in Pleasant Gap for production and storage purposes. Ricketts owns the building, which served as the company’s retail space for more than 13 years.
“Unless something crazy happens to me or the world collapses, we’ll be doing something here. The mortgage doesn’t pay itself.”
Fasta & Ravioli Co. will continue selling its handmade pasta products as a vendor at farmers markets in Boalsburg, State College, Hershey and more areas across Pennsylvania. The company’s products are also available in several shops, including Way Fruit Farm in Port Matilda and Meyer Dairy in State College.
Moving forward, Ricketts says Fasta & Ravioli Co. will continue working to make its products more accessible throughout Centre County and beyond.
“We’re trying to bring fresh pasta to our customers more conveniently,” Ricketts said. “After almost 15 years in business, we have great, quality products that we love and our customers love. What we’ve found is that it comes down to everyone being busy, so it’s about being convenient.”
Maine Bay & Berry’s market is open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The market is closed on Mondays.
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