'The era is over': 100-year-old Helen's Bakery to get new owner

WORCESTER ― It looked like a normal day at Helen’s Bakery .

The daily specials were on a chalkboard and customers showed up to buy their favorite items, while others sat at the counter, sipping mugs of coffee while shooting the breeze. But something felt different on Friday morning as customers had something else on their minds besides gobbling down muffins and Danishes.

They were thinking about owner Andy Maglione Jr., and the fact that he has sold the business and is retiring after running the bakery for the last 37 years.

“The era is over,” said the 63-year-old Maglione while standing behind the counter, wearing a blue shirt inscribed with the words “Helen’s Bakery.” It’s a shirt he’s likely slipped on every morning at 2 a.m. so he could get to the bakery on Greenwood Street in the Quinsigamond Village neighborhood to ensure everything was baked on time when the doors opened for business at 5.

Several customers made sure to give their final goodbyes, not only to show their appreciation for Maglione’s hard work, but also his friendship. Denise Perron of Millbury gave Maglione a big hug and kiss after getting in one last order before Maglione’s final business day on Saturday.

Perron ordered whipped cream cupcakes for her husband’s birthday, and recalled how she used to order Danishes and muffins from Helen’s for the annual Memorial Day Celebration held at the local Swedish Cemetery.

“(Maglione is) the best,” said Perron.

Real estate agent to take over

The ownership change is scheduled to happen on Monday, and the new owner is Klaudia Dang, a real estate agent at Keller Williams in Worcester.

"I've always wanted to open a breakfast restaurant," said Dang, who plans to keep all the current items, and maybe add a few lunch items like fish and chips, chicken wings, egg roles and banh mi.

Dang said she wanted to keep the Helen's name, but Maglione didn't make it part of the sale. Maglione retained the corporate entity tied to Helen's, which means he owns the name that's been tied to the business for 100 years. The original owner, Hector Mann, named the business after his daughter, Helen.

Dang said the new name will be Quinsigamond Village Bakery and Café. She would like to open before Thanksgiving, but said it's unlikely as she's working with city inspectors to make sure the business meets local building codes.

Dang hopes current staff will stay, and said she's looking forward to continuing the close relationship Maglione developed with customers.

"It's heartwarming to see people in the community come and eat year after year," she said. "I want to continue the business so patrons can continue coming."

Unexpected turn of events

If circumstances had been different, Maglione may never have taken the helm at Helen’s. He was working in New York City when his father died of cancer. Maglione took over the business in 1987 and has been its fixture for nearly four decades.

With three grown children who don’t want to take over Helen’s, Maglione felt now was the time to retire. Not only will he have more time to golf, fish and travel with his wife, Michele, he also looks forward to spending quality time with his five grandchildren.

“I’m ready," he said. "My dad died at 49, and I want to have some good years.”

Bulkie rolls and bagels: part of the sale

Maglione won’t make a clean break after his last workday on Saturday. He said he'll stick around for a week to help Dang settle in. He's selling the entire operation, including his recipes, especially those for the bulkie roles and bagels that Maglione said are “second to none.”

Sarah Strozina of Auburn bought a few loaves of Swedish rye bread on Friday, a staple at Helen's as Quinsigamond Village was once populated by Swedish immigrants who worked at the former American Steel & Wire Company.

“Helen’s has always had the best Swedish rye,” said Strozina.

Shawn Renihan’s family has walked through Helen’s front door and bought its baked goods for roughly half a century. Renihan held his half-eaten egg and cheese sandwich cooked on the grill at Helen's while paying for it, and said Maglione “always has a smile. He’s the nicest guy in the world.”

Maybe that is what kept generations of high school and college students coming back to Helen’s to work for Maglione. He grew up in Auburn and the student pipeline started after he asked friends if they knew of anyone who needed a job. The pipeline never stopped, and many of his former workers plan to return to the bakery on Saturday for a reunion to wish Maglione happy trails.

One of those former students is Krista Marquez, who worked for Maglione through high school and college and still is on the part-time payroll. Marquez said she doesn't need the job, but does it anyway because she likes working for Maglione.

“He’s the best boss ever," she said. "Why would I not stay?"

Maglione doesn't feel sadness cutting the cord from a business that's been in his family's control for 43 years.

“Relief” is more like it, and he’s ready to start life’s next chapter.

“I made a lot of good friends over the years. I’m going to miss the people.”

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com . Follow him on X: @henrytelegram .

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'The era is over': 100-year-old Helen's Bakery to get new owner