After a stolen van destroyed a popular West Philly deli, the community hopes to help rebuild

This story has been updated.

The high-fives, handshakes, and hugs started as soon as Scott Lee arrived in front of his boarded-up deli and restaurant on Baltimore Avenue in West Philadelphia.

“Everybody loves him,” said Renee Pettis, a school crossing guard at the intersection. “He’s a good person. And he makes good cheesesteaks.”

“I am very blessed,” Lee said Tuesday as neighbors stopped to chat with him outside the business he’s owned and operated for nearly 30 years at the corner of 47th and Baltimore.

The local landmark has been closed since Nov. 20, when a stolen van rammed through the front of the building at 4 a.m. No injuries were reported, but the store’s interior, including furnishings and equipment, was severely damaged.

Police arrested the driver of the van at the scene and later charged him with burglary, criminal trespassing, theft, unlawful taking, and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Despite the Lee family’s initial reluctance, supporters have set up a Go Fund Me campaign on behalf of Lee’s, which does not have business interruption insurance, and may need major structural renovations before it can reopen. Four employees are out of work; the deli also is a principal source of income for the Lee family.

The Merchants Fund, the University City District, and the city Commerce Department also are working to connect the owner with potential resources.

“We recognize that owners of small businesses in the city like Lee’s Deli already have a lot on their plate, and what Lee’s is dealing with now is more than most of us can imagine,” said Jill C. Fink, executive director of the Merchants Fund. The nonprofit, founded in 1854, provides grants and other assistance to neighborhood businesses citywide and helped Lee’s with a 2015 renovation project; so far this year, $517,826 has been disbursed among 60 recipients.

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“Our goal is to guide them to every opportunity possible to acquire as many dollars as are needed to rebuild,” said Ryan Spak, project manager for the University City District’s small business services program. He’s known around West Philly as a ”Mr. Fixit,” skilled at finding resources and making connections for local businesses and property owners.

Vernon Wilkins, aka the Carrot Cake Man in West Philly and beyond, said that with the shutdown of Lee’s, he has lost a primary sales location for his cupcakes. He and Lee also are longtime friends.

“He’s a good-hearted person who supplies a lot of people with a lot of food,” Wilkins said. “You can’t even get in the door there sometimes.”

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Like the deli itself, Wilkins is a key element in West Philly’s small business ecosystem. He’s begun offering those carrot cupcakes at Four Worlds Bakery on Woodland Avenue.

This temporary arrangement is meant to help the Carrot Cake Man maintain his sales volume while also benefiting Lee’s, said Michael Dolich, the owner of Four Worlds.

“I will not be taking any money from the sales; the margins from the sales (what we charge minus what we pay Vernon for the cakes) will go to Lee’s Deli to help in the recovery efforts,” he said in a post on the Four Worlds Facebook page.

“Small business owners all know we are one event away from being closed for a myriad of reasons, a list of things that can happen, and we live with that constantly,” Dolich said by phone from the store.

“What happened to Lee’s can happen to any of us,” Dolich said. “So we have to chip in and do what we can to help each other.”

“Everybody giving me a high-five is helping me overcome this challenging time,” Scott Lee said. “The encouragement from this special West Philly community is what I want to highlight.”

Lee immigrated to Philadelphia from South Korea in 1989 with his wife, Grace, and their sons, Eddy, Andrew, and Alex. March 1 will be the 30th anniversary of the Lee’s Deli grand opening.

“There are a lot of challenges everywhere [in the reopening] process, and work can be delayed, but I want to be here and start again on March 1,” Lee said.

“That is my dream.”

This story has been updated.