Popular family-owned bakery in Delaware County to close after 70 years

CHESTER, Pa. - A bittersweet farewell this weekend to a longtime Delaware County business. A family bakery in Chester is closing its doors for good after 70 years.

The trays of babka and butter pound cakes are now empty. Not even a cupcake crumb was left in the display cases.  And come this weekend, ovens at Kyj’s Bakery in Chester will go cold after 70 years.

"Me and my kids used to come here every morning to get cupcakes. Every birthday strawberry shortcakes. It means a lot to the city. We are sad to see them go" said customer Nikera Brooks of Chester.

"Their strawberry shortcakes is something all in peoples hearts" added Vincent Toward.

Once word got out the iconic bakery was closing a rush of longtime customers flooded their two stores in Chester and Brookhaven.  

They even had to close for several hours on Friday so they could keep up with last-minute demand.

"We basically blew the city up with this. And everybody has been coming in and so sad. We had people crying" said Rashedah Doss.   

Doss started here as a teenager and has worked here for 38 years along with her two daughters and other family members. 

Friday afternoon they were busy decorating their final strawberry shortcakes.

"it’s sad. I mean I realized I worked every holiday for almost 38 years and always swore it would be my last but now it is the last and it’s very sad" said Doss.

The Kyj family, with Ukrainian roots, opened in 1954. No one in the family is taking over the business. The owners will hang up their aprons and sell the buildings.

"I came for their cruschikis, their chocolate  jimmy donuts, their strawberry shortcakes" said Ginger Kelly who grew up around the corner from the Chester location. 

She had to come back for old times' sake.

"I still feel sad that it's leaving I was hoping someone in their family would keep it going" said Kelly.

Alicia Gamino has been coming here since she was a kid. When asked how many wedding, communion, funeral cakes she’s had over the years? "Countless. Countless. Too many to even remember" she said.

Some of the workers now without jobs are thinking of opening up their own Chester bakery. But they know nothing can replace 70 years of local history and countless smiles.

Officially, the bakery will close their Chester location on Saturday, followed by the Brookhaven location on Sunday. But judging by demand, there won’t be much left.