BIDDEFORD, Maine
(NEWS CENTER) -- Reilly's Bakery is a staple in Biddeford, but it's owner decided to hang up his apron last month.
There have been more cookie cutter moments than Michael Reilly ever anticipated for himself since he walked through the door at Reilly's Bakery in Biddeford for his first day of work fifty years ago. He was just 15-years-old and working at the place his grandfather opened in 1910 where Reilly has made sure to keep the old family recipes alive.
"I like doing what we do. We do all the old fashioned recipes by scratch that have been handed down over the years," said Reilly.
Mornings are always the busiest time of day at the Biddeford bakery. That rush will continue, but the ownership changed in December when Reilly decided it was time to retire after 50 years of work, handing the business down to his daughter, Elizabeth Hussey.
"Hanging out with my father was coming here," said Hussey. "That's pretty much what started me working here to begin with."
Hussey plans on keeping the old recipes while adding some new things to the menu when she takes over. Her father will still be around for the beginning of his retirement, working three days a week to help out. Calling it quits completely hasn't been an easy decision for him to make.
"You have to be smart enough to know when to walk out, when to pass the reins. I'll learn," said Hussey.
Reilly's last day as an owner was December 29th. He says that his wife has planned a week long trip to Aruba to celebrate his retirement.
