The owner of a beloved Italian-American gift shop that has been in business for more than 100 years is desperately looking to stay afloat at a time when the pandemic has delivered a blow both to his shop and to his family. Ernie Rossi recently returned to E. Rossi and Co, located on Grand St in the heart of Little Italy, for the first time in more than three months.

The shop is stacked wall to wall with imports from Italy from tea towels and bowls, to coffee makers and souvenirs. The shop also sells Italian-American novelty items. It has been part of Rossi’s family since 1910, when it was founded by his grandfather.