Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Pa. Lottery films commercials at area store
Pennsylvania Lottery films commercials at Ana’s Corner Store
EAST NORRITON » When a bunch of Pennsylvania Lottery TV commercials debut later this summer, even the most discerning viewer probably won’t recognize the beloved local icon where the filming was done.
But that’s no problem for Ana Ferry, owner of Ana’s Corner Store, the little deli and convenience store that quietly dominates the corner of North Wales and Township Line roads in East Norriton, who said she was happy to turn over the interior and exterior of her establishment to the lottery’s production crew for four days of filming recently.
“It was quite the experience. The store was completely transformed,” noted Ferry, who, with her brother Richard Gaglianese, converted a former Wawa into an independent homespun version of the convenience giant six years ago.
“I thought they would use our store as a backdrop. And yes, they used it as a backdrop, but they completely changed everything. When the commercial comes on I don’t think anyone will know that it’s my store. It’s really remarkable what they did. Nothing is ours. It’s very different looking. You’re not going to look at the commercials and say, ‘Oh, that’s Ana’s store.’”
None of the brands customers are so familiar with, such as Café Excellence Specialty Coffees & Teas; Stock’s pound cake; Marchiano’s Stuffed Breads; Mr. Ron’s Coleslaw and rice pudding; Corropolese Bakery & Deli tomato pie; Merrymead Farm milk and Ana’s own brand of homemade take-out cuisine, AnaMade, were visible during the filming — all removed or covered up in some way, Ferry noted.
“They even covered the soffits with colorful paper and
“It’s really remarkable what they did. Nothing is ours. It’s very different looking. You’re not going to look at the commercials and say, ‘Oh, that’s Ana’s store.” — Ana Ferry, owner of Ana’s Corner Store
changed every light bulb in the store. All brand logos were hidden; soda bottles were turned sideways and they brought in tons of other products. The energy they put into this is tremendous. I never saw anything like it. They even brought their own electric source. Before they disassembled an area they took pictures so they knew where to put things back, and anything that was disturbed was replaced. As chaotic
as it was, with lights and wires and equipment everywhere, everyone knew what they were doing and they keep it running like a well-oiled machine,” added, Ferry, who said she was well compensated for the loss of business during the time the store was closed.
“They paid us to shut down and made it worth our while,” explained Ferry, who regularly posted photos of the filming on the store’s Facebook page.
“This was a big decision for us because this is a busy time of year for us. We expressed our concerns but they took care of all that.”
As the crew took over the small parking lot with trucks, tents and a cherry picker, orange cones were set up to block the entrances.
“I asked for signs because I didn’t want anyone to think we were closed because of a health issue,” Ferry said. “They ran out of space for the workers to park, so they were shuttling them back and forth to the side streets.”
Ana’s Corner Store store will appear in four 15-second spots and one 30-second spot that will begin airing in July and August.
The longer commercial
will feature a scratch-off game and the shorter commercials will spotlight Fast Play, a new type of game that offers players the chance to win prizes without scratching the ticket or waiting for a drawing, noted Pennsylvania Lottery’s director of marketing Connie Bloss.
“We did five commercials to promote different products of ours. Our advertising agency, MARC USA in Pittsburgh, hires a production company, and they go out and scout out different locations for filming. That’s how they arrived at Ana’s Corner Store, and the store was just wonderful to work
with,” Bloss said.
A press release noted that Fast Play games will print on-demand from a Lottery sales terminal or self-service touch-screen vending terminal. Retailers may not print Fast Play games in advance, as tickets must be generated at the time of purchase.
To see if they’ve won a prize, players can review the ticket, or scan it at a Lottery retailer or with the ticket checker feature on the Lottery’s official mobile app.
Ferry, who recently opened a second location of Ana’s Corner Store at 903 Township Line Road, Elkins
Park, said customers ardently expressed their gratitude when the store reopened for business last Friday.
“While we were closed, one woman drove through the orange cones to get into the parking lot. The crew was laughing about it, and I told them, you realize that you’re coming between someone and their first cup of coffee on a Monday morning,” Ferry said, laughing.
Ana’s Corner Store is located at 3310 N. Wales Road, East Norriton. Hours are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.