FOLLOWING IS AN EMAIL EXCHANGE BETWEEN "JEANETTE, " WHO WAS A MEMBER OF THE RIORDAN FAMILY, WHO OPERATED THAT GREAT BAKERY ON ROUTE 33 IN MERCERVILLE BACK IN THE 1960's. IF ANYONE OTHER THAN I REMEMBER THAT BAKERY WITH STORIES OR PHOTOS, PLEASE SUBMIT THEM TO ME SO I CAN CONTACT JEANETTE, OR POST YOUR INFO IN MY GUEST BOOK AND IT WILL BE PLACED HERE.
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TO JEANETTE:
THANK YOU FOR THE EMAIL REQUESTING INFO ON RIORDAN'S BAKERY. HOW I LOVED THAT PLACE! BACK IN THE 1960'S I WENT THERE AT LEAST 2 OR 3 TIMES A WEEK ON MY COMMUTE FROM HAMILTON TO NEW BRUNSWICK. THE ONLY THING I BOUGHT FROM RIORDAN'S WERE THOSE INCREDIBLY WONDERFUL ENGLISH SCONES. (WITHOUT RAISINS!) THEY WERE AVAILABLE WITH OR WITHOUT RAISINS. SADLY, THEY CLOSED UP SHOP VERY QUIETLY AND WERE GONE. I AM SORRY TO SAY THAT I HAVE NO INFORMATION ON YOUR FAMILY'S BAKERY. THEY OPERATED A GREAT SHOP, AND THEIR DONUTS WOULD PUT DUNKIN DONUTS TO SHAME. ( I DON'T RECALL WHETHER THEY MADE THE DONUTS OR NOT, BUT THEY WERE MUCH LIKE THE OLD FASHIONED PRIOR'S DONUTS.)IF I SHOULD COME ACROSS ANYTHING IN MY HISTORY "MINING," I WILL CERTAINLY CONTACT YOU. THANKS FOR VISITING MY WEBSITE. I HOPE YOU COME BACK OFTEN. (I WILL ALSO ASK IF ANY OF MY WEB VISITORS HAVE ANY INFO ON THE SHOP.)
A FURTHER EMAIL REGARDING RIORDAN'S RECEIVED MARCH 3:
FROM JEANETTE:
Mr. Glover,
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TO JEANETTE:
THANK YOU FOR THE EMAIL REQUESTING INFO ON RIORDAN'S BAKERY. HOW I LOVED THAT PLACE! BACK IN THE 1960'S I WENT THERE AT LEAST 2 OR 3 TIMES A WEEK ON MY COMMUTE FROM HAMILTON TO NEW BRUNSWICK. THE ONLY THING I BOUGHT FROM RIORDAN'S WERE THOSE INCREDIBLY WONDERFUL ENGLISH SCONES. (WITHOUT RAISINS!) THEY WERE AVAILABLE WITH OR WITHOUT RAISINS. SADLY, THEY CLOSED UP SHOP VERY QUIETLY AND WERE GONE. I AM SORRY TO SAY THAT I HAVE NO INFORMATION ON YOUR FAMILY'S BAKERY. THEY OPERATED A GREAT SHOP, AND THEIR DONUTS WOULD PUT DUNKIN DONUTS TO SHAME. ( I DON'T RECALL WHETHER THEY MADE THE DONUTS OR NOT, BUT THEY WERE MUCH LIKE THE OLD FASHIONED PRIOR'S DONUTS.)IF I SHOULD COME ACROSS ANYTHING IN MY HISTORY "MINING," I WILL CERTAINLY CONTACT YOU. THANKS FOR VISITING MY WEBSITE. I HOPE YOU COME BACK OFTEN. (I WILL ALSO ASK IF ANY OF MY WEB VISITORS HAVE ANY INFO ON THE SHOP.)
A FURTHER EMAIL REGARDING RIORDAN'S RECEIVED MARCH 3:
FROM JEANETTE:
Mr. Glover,
Thank you sooo very much for your email and sharing your memories of the bakery with me! You don't know how happy it made me when I read it! It was great to hear memories from a stranger. I already printed your email out to put in my children's baby books, just a little something that will mean a lot to them in the future (kinda keep the past alive). I really do appreciate you posting it on your web page, thank you! Oh and my mother loved the scones as well which I just found out the other day, never would have known that if you hadn't mentioned it! As for the donuts I know they definitely where made on site, the one story I did get from my father years ago was how he always got in trouble for filling the cream donuts with too much cream! (I probably would have done the same thing) My mom and dad both worked at her fathers bakery, I always wondered what things would be like if it was never sold and still in the family (I'd probably be on a diet!) but like they say everything happens for a reason. Therefore, I am very happy I got in touch with you, thanks for everything! Talk to you again soon.
Jeannette
I remember Riordan's Bakery SO very well!!! My family went there often! It was just around the corner from the street I grew up on. I bet some of the people there would remember my family. We were the ones with so many kids!
ReplyDeleteI remember well a little elderly lady with white curly hair who was always behind the counter when we came in. She was so nice and if we were ever short a penny or a nickel she would let us go. :) Don't remember her name.
I remember whenever we had a little change and were walking home from Mercerville school, we would go in there for a Popsicle or a Fudge Bar. They were only 5 cents and all the change we could come up with. :)
My brother Mark worked there but I don't remember when exactly or for how long. He was young-possibly a teenager then. I think he used to fill the donuts. An elderly neighbor (gone a long time now) worked there and he must have felt sorry for our family because every so often he would bring us a huge bag of day old donuts and we really loved that! I think they were mostly the cake donuts but we didn't care. That was a real treat for us!!
We would alway stop in there on Sunday mornings after church for 3 dozen donuts. The long cream donuts were my favorites!! Yummy! Loved Sunday mornings!!
Then, (the reason I think for their closing and selling the place) there was a bad fire. They were closed down for a long time and we couldn't wait for them to reopen. When they finally did, the place smelled so bad of the fire and burnt wood. It was never the same after that. Even the donuts didn't seem to taste so good after the fire. I don't remember it being open too long after they fixed it back up. Maybe a year or two but I'm not sure. We were so sad to see it being knocked down. A gas station replaced it.
I will never forget Riordan's Bakery or the nice little lady behind the counter. I can still picture her standing there!!
Mary Adams Hogan