McKeesport's Minerva Bakery closes after 103 years

McKeesport's Minerva Bakery has closed its doors after 103 years in business. 

The bakery, which was a staple in the McKeesport community, announced Monday that it has closed. 

"For more than a century, these doors have been open to generations of families, friends, neighbors, and visitors," the bakery said.

The bakery's owners said that they are deeply grateful for everyone who has walked through the doors to the shop along Fifth Avenue and everyone who has shared their baked goods and supported them over the years. 

When the bakery celebrated 100 years in 2023, owner Kathy Monezis Harvey said that operations started with her grandfather, who migrated to the United States from Greece. She said he learned the business of baking while working on a Russian cruise ship and eventually settled in McKeesport.

"While saying goodbye is difficult, we are proud of the legacy we leave behind and humbled to be a small part of so many lives for 103 years," the bakery said. "Thank you for allowing us to be part of your family, your traditions, and your memories."

McKeesport mayor Tom Maglicco said in a statement that he offers sincere gratitude to the bakery for their decades of service to the community, along with heartbreak that the business is closing. 

"I grew up in that neighborhood, and I've known the Monezis family my whole life," Maglicco said. "The raisin bread. The buns. I'll miss it all … and no family function with be the same without a Minerva cake."

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, a McKeesport native, said he grew up going to Minerva and that there was a tradition of ordering doughnuts from the bakery for poll workers on Election Day. 

"I'm of course heartbroken to hear my hometown bakery is closing its doors, but I wish the owners a happy retirement and thank them for being a valued part of the community for decades," Davis said.