Laura Glesby photo
Owner Rosanna Sabino and employee Marisol Ortega at Nica's Market.
The word on Orange Street Wednesday was: Caffeine.
And the “bar” was open.
At 9 a.m., Rosanna Sabino and Marisol Ortega were serving espresso, not martinis, to East Rockers coming into Nica’s Market from the sub-freezing cold.
They call themselves “daytime bartenders”: not only preparing warm drinks and scanning purchases, but laughing with customers, telling stories, and brightening everyone’s day.
“You’re not just ordering, we’re showing you pictures of our dogs,” said Sabino, one of the owners of Nica’s market.
Ortega and Sabino spoke with WNHH FM’s“LoveBabz LoveTalk” program’s“Word on the Street” team in between serving customers.
Located at 603 Orange St., Nica’s is simultaneously a grocery store, deli, catering company, and coffee shop. The store is known for its paninis and its ever-more-popular charcuterie and cheese boards; Ortega and Sabino said that the store’s Sicilian pizza is its best-kept secret. In a city famous for its wealth of pizza, Connecticut Magazine recognized the deli in 2016 as one of the best pizza places in the state. The market keeps a framed copy of the magazine on the wall by the entrance.
Sabino and Ortega started their shift Wednesday at 6:30 a.m., preparing the store for its daily 7 o’clock opening. Even in pre-pandemic times, January was a calm month for Nica’s. After the December holidays, the rhythm of the store slows down. The customers trickling in are mostly regulars, whom Sabino and Ortega know by name.
“We don’t mind getting a break from all the craziness,” said Sabino.
Nica’s has managed to stay open and retain all its staff throughout the pandemic. The store has a loyal customer base. “For a small store, you’d be surprised at how much people actually love coming here,” Ortega said.
Ortega and Sabino also said they could use a vacation amid the pandemic gloom. Sabino’s family founded the business 19 years ago, and Ortega has been working there for nearly eight years.
“She’s my work daughter,” Sabino said of Ortega.
Watch their full conversation on the “Word of the Day” segment WNHH’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” in the above video.