Owners shut bakery – for now – to focus on client sales
Carmichaels’ only bakery has closed, but business has been good.
Emma’s Bake Shoppe shuttered its retail operation in late January, seven months after opening, to pursue its wholesale side. And, apparently, it’s doing just fine filling orders for restaurants, bars, cafes and others local businesses.
“We decided to shut the retail down for a while due to our bread business becoming overwhelming,” Josh Stillwagon, co-owner with brother Jason, said via email. “We plan on extending our bread business as far as Connellsville in the next month or so.”
The brothers from Masontown, however, haven’t closed their Park Avenue store for good. “We plan on doing a grand reopening in the next couple of months,” Josh wrote, “I’ll post an announcement on Facebook as well as the sign outside.”
Drawing on their experience, these baker boys decided to launch their own operation after years of toiling for others. They, with the help of their father and stepmother, Wally and Becky, remodeled a former Subway and opened the shop in June.
Their offerings, made from scratch, bread, buns, pepperoni rolls, pies, cookies, cinnamon rolls and other delights.
TLC is an integral element to a bakery’s operation, and love certainly was impetus to the naming of this startup. The brothers selected Emma’s, after Jason’s daughter and partly a tribute to his late wife. Liz Stillwagon, 27 and three months pregnant with the couple’s second child, had a diabetes-related seizure two years ago and died along with that child.
This is a dark Friday for the home of the Black Friday sandwich.
The Handle Bar & Grille, on West Pike Street in Canonsburg, announced on its Facebook page Thursday that it has shut down.
The post reads: “Today was a difficult day. We’ve made the decision to put health and family back as our priorities. As a result, the doors to The Handle Bar & Grille have been closed for good. Thanks to the amazing staff and loyal customers for making this a very special place!”
Tom and Donna Staaf, the husband-and-wife co-owners launched the establishment in July 2012.
Their most distinctive entree was the Black Friday sandwich, an amalgam of almost every Thanksgiving delight and named for the glorious/notorious day-after retail-fest. It featured warm turkey, stuffing and corn topped with a layer of cranberries, stuffed inside a Mancini’s roll and complemented with a side of mashed potatoes and dipping gravy.
The affiliation of Presbyterian SeniorCare and Presbyterian Homes of Lake Erie became official this week, following approval by Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane.
The two providers of aging services went through a management/consulting arrangement for six years, then signed an affiliation agreement in October. The agreement then went to Kane’s office for review.
This will increase the scope of Presbyterian SeniorCare, the largest aging services provider in Western Pennsylvania, which has facilities at 850 S. Main St. in North Franklin and South Strabane townships.
Both organizations also will now have more opportunities to collaborate with major health system providers and contract with payers, enhancing services to older adults.
The affiliation does not involve exchange of money or charitable assets and workforce reductions are not anticipated.
Paul Winkler, president of Presbyterian SeniorCare, said in a prepared statement: “This affiliation acknowledges our shared belief that our long-term futures will be stronger together. We are committed to making aging easier for consumers and caregivers . . .”
Presbyterian SeniorCare has 44 facilities in 10 Western Pennsylvania counties.
Edward J. Harris, founder, owner and manager of Harris Wealth Management in McMurray, was named to the LPL Patriots Club. Harris Wealth Management is affiliated with LPL Financial, and the award goes to less than 10 percent of LPL’s 14,000 financial advisers nationwide. It is based on an adviser’s annual production.
The McMurray office provides independent financial planning services, investment advice and asset mangement services in Southwestern Pennsylvania. For more information, visit harriswm.com.
Jennifer Krayvo, of the Bethel Park office, is Home Instead Senior Care’s 2014 CAREGiver of the Year in the Great Lakes Region. Her office serves southwest Allegheny and Washington counties.
Lucy Cichon, owner of the office, said Krayvo was selected for outstanding service and commitment to seniors. Krayvo, a professional caregiver for 11 years, is one of eight Home Instead caregivers chosen regionally from across the United States and Canada who will vie for the network’s top award, Mary Steibel CAREGiver of the Year. It will be presented at the company’s annual convention in Omaha, Neb., in April.
Home Instead provides companionship care for older adults, plus meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, personal and Alzheimer’s care, incidental transportation, errands and shopping.