While Jewish delis are in no short supply, kosher delis are another story, writes Michael Klein for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Paul Spangler set up shop on the other side of City Line Avenue from Lower Merion’s Jewish community.

Lipkins Bakery opened in the 1940s before moving to the Northeast and had been serving the community kosher food for generations. When Spangler took over the establishment, he considered the glaring lack of kosher meats in the Jewish community. He moved the operation to City Line Ave, just outside of Lower Merion, and added a deli to his bakery.

The deli has a full menu with pastrami, corned beef, salami, bologna, and more. Spangler plans to add smoked fish around High Holidays.

With a new deli counter and tables in the front, guests can sit and eat a pastrami sandwich – something they couldn’t do before. The Giant and Acme in the area offered kosher-deli counters, but no place to sit.

Since Spangler opened his doors with the new deli, business has doubled. “As more and more traffic came in for the deli, they ended up buying from the bakery,” he said. 

Spencer is treating this location as a test store, with hopes to expand to multiple locations in University City, downtown, and Cherry Hill.

Read more about Lipkin’s Deli and Bakery and Spangler’s mission to feed his community at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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