TAMAQUA -- A new bakery in Schuylkill County is bringing a sweet piece of the past back. Momma C's Bakery plans to open soon in downtown Tamaqua at the same location as a former bakery.
A vacant storefront on East Broad Street in Tamaqua will be soon be filled with sweet treats from Momma C.
Cheryl Leone opened her first Momma C's Bakery in West Penn Township just last year, but when she heard the former Wenzel Bakery storefront was available, she jumped on the opportunity to open a second bakery there.
"The sugar cookies were fantastic. That's what we all had at our birthday parties and when we took treats to school, you took Wenzel's cupcakes!" said Leone.
Leone, or "Momma C," grew up in downtown Tamaqua and lived through the legacy of Wenzel's bakery. It was there on Broad Street for 73 years and closed on Thanksgiving Day in 2006.
For some, it's left a void that Momma C hopes to fill.
Some of the donuts and pastries she bakes are inspired by the Wenzel Bakery taste she remembers.
"We'll never be able to duplicate Wenzel's, we already know that. But if someone tells me I'm close, I'm happy!"
While much of Broad Street has changed over the years, some in Tamaqua say it feels good to have a piece of the past here again.
"Oh, that made me happy when I heard that someone was opening a business up in town again!" said Robert Coombe.
"It's nice to have something of the past here because we don't have so many things to look back to," added Marion Kline.
Wenzel's had a line of customers outside their door when they closed the East Broad Street bakery.
Momma C's hopes those customers are willing to line up at her door for a similar taste of baked goods when she opens the new bakery in a few weeks.