Community at the Bakery

Sundays at Reher's Bakery

Guerrin Matthews purchased a loaf of Rye or Pumpernickel bread from Mollie Reher during weekday lunch breaks from his job at the Kingston Laundry. Sundays were the only day when the Rehers baked their famous hard rolls.

Cousins Dan Reinhard and Kathleen Beichert describe the popular “Bump” or “Bumpy” style of Reher roll, The Rehers also made rolls with smooth tops, called "Smooths."

On Sundays, the Rehers' business started before dawn. Bill Studt, who worked overnight preparing the Sunday morning edition of the Kingston Daily Freeman newspaper, would stop by to pick up rolls long before the church crowd arrived.

Kathleen Beichert recalls three baskets, filled with fresh breads, sitting along this counter.

Paper bags served many functions in Reher’s Bakery. According to Buddy Cohen, a nephew who visited during summers in the 1930s, the Rehers used them as hair nets in the oven room.

Emmy Hastings recalls peering into the windows of Reher's Bakery years after the business closed, and possibly spotting the Sunday List on a shelf.

After their Sunday morning rush, the Rehers often invited Julian Weiner, who is Jewish, into the store for a chat that often felt like an interrogation.

From the newspaperman to the Sunday School student, Reher's Bakery served a broad community. This 2007 photograph shows how the store looked twenty-seven years after it closed. Click on the icons to hear former customers bring the space to life.