MONESSEN - The aroma of fresh baked bread and doughnuts will once again rise from the Keystone Bakery.
The beloved hometown bakery got a new lease on life as J.J. Georgagis, nephew of longtime Keystone Bakery owner John Croussouloudis, purchased the business.
"I'm very excited and I'm so happy that we are keeping the business in the family," said Georgagis, 36, of Roscoe.
Georgagis said the bakeries in the Eastgate section of Monessen and in the K-Mart Plaza, Rostraver Township, will re-open in mid-June.
The bakery has been closed since March 3, following the retirement of Croussouloudis, who took over the business from his father, Costas, in 1958.
The business was put up for sale about a year before the closing, marking the end of one of the Mid-Mon Valley's oldest and most successful family-run businesses.
The bakery moved to Monessen in 1974. At one time, Keystone had five locations. At the time of its closing, only the Monessen and Rostraver Township locations were still open, employing 40 people.
About a week before the closing, Georgagis said he spent time at the Monessen bakery and began contemplating buying the business.
"I was just so impressed with the loyalty and dedication of the employees and the customers," he said.
So when Georgagis became the owner, he called the former employees - many of whom have worked there for decades - and offered them their jobs back.
"Keystone Bakery was a success because of the people who worked there," he said.
Georgagis said he plans to keep the same traditional ingredients and bakery staples that have become synonymous with Keystone Bakery.
He also has some new, fresh ideas for the business.
"I'm still in the planning stages, and when a new owner comes on board there are always going to be some changes," he said.
But he will also have a mentor helping him along the way, as Croussouloudis will likely still be a familiar face around the bakery.
'I know my uncle is thrilled that it will stay in the family and even though he is retired, I would expect that he will do more than just pop in here and there," Georgagis said with a laugh.
Georgagis said his family was "very supportive" of his decision to buy the business.
He and his wife, Melissa, have three children - Athena, 4, Anastasia, 2, and Niko, 9 months.
