'It's a joy.' Plehn's Bakery, a Louisville icon, celebrates 100 years of sweet memories

You know what they say about good things?

They take time.

Maybe that’s why it takes a moment for anyone to describe what it is about this place that has been around for 100 years. On their faces, you can see it’s one of those moments where looking away seems better, because they’re trying to get the words right, or maybe they’re trying not to cry.

It’s plain to see. Even a bakery can have this kind of effect on people.

Like Sandy Wine, who has worked at Plehn’s Bakery for 50 years. She needed a second when asked why this spot at 3940 Shelbyville Road is so well loved.

So did the young mom holding her nearly 2-year-old daughter, both waiting for a watermelon cookie to share on their way out the door to somewhere else.

So did the 85-year-old man who, a long time ago, rode his bicycle here even though they didn’t let Black people in the door when he was a teenager. He used to order sweets through a walk-up window and now, Travis Caudell sits on a stool inside a few times a month with a doughnut and coffee. He often brings his grandkids here.

Kitty Tichenor, 86, and her daughter, Elizabeth, also took a second, but then they quickly got to reminiscing about the holiday traditions that wouldn't be complete without Plehn’s desserts.

Maybe it’s hard to say exactly what it is, but time has a way of speaking for itself.

Only a good thing would last 100 years and counting.

As Plehn’s celebrates that milestone, patrons can't help but share their memories associated with the place that opened in 1924 by a native of Kiel, Germany.

Many say their grandparents took them here. One couple got their wedding cake made here 50 years ago and recently returned for a replica in honor of their anniversary, using the same cake topper.

There have been so many wedding cakes and birthday cakes. One guy lives in southern Indiana but doesn’t mind the drive. Teenagers stop here on their way to prom for photo ops. Some kids used to be bribed to go to church, knowing they’d get a treat from Pehn’s after. If those kids moved away from Louisville for college or jobs, cookies from Plehn’s often made the trip during visits because they wanted that taste of home.

Many talk about this being a go-to for special occasions, because those white boxes wrapped with red ribbon have come to mean something special. As co-owner Jennifer Brownlee said, the line out the door on Christmas Eve is “cray cray,” but people tell her, “Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without going to Plehn’s.”

Just listen to Milton Hettinger, who will turn 90 in a few months. More than 70 years ago, the young Hettinger walked down the street from his residence at St. Joseph Children’s Home looking for a job. He spoke with Kuno Plehn, the original owner, on a Sunday afternoon. Hettinger started working at Plehn’s the following Tuesday. He has never left. You’d be hard-pressed to name another 89-year-old who has maintained one job in his life.

It’s easy to see what he has found along the way: Family.

“It’s a joy,” Hettinger said of being at Plehn’s. “I’m just glad to be part of it.”

His 71-year-old daughter, Donna Bowling, is another one to pause when it comes to describing this place. Also a longtime employee of Plehn’s, she opts to point to the photos on poster boards, on display for everyone who steps in to take in memories from the last century.

There’s one image of her grandson, Sawyer, side-by-side with Hettinger and a handwritten caption reading, “2nd generation teaching the 5th generation how to clean.” Sawyer, a senior in high school, wants to get into the family business, too.

If these names start to get confusing, you’re not alone. When asked for a breakdown of the people behind Plehn’s, Brownlee offered this: “Would it be easier for me to draw it for you?”

The family tree involves multiple layers.

So does this place.

The cases are full of decorated cookies, croissants, pies, almost every dessert you could think of, and, angel dips, a specialty here consisting of chocolate-covered angel food cake.

Also popular to order, after pulling your number from an old-fashioned ticket puncher, are deli sandwiches and peach ice cream.

There are so many options, baked freshly each day, that sometimes it takes a second for customers to decide what to order.

“Anything else you want?” a friendly worker behind the counter asked on a recent morning.

In this busy room of people, the workers locked eyes, maybe knowing this was another memory in the making.

This time, you can tell the customer has been here before based on the way he answers the question.

“The answer is usually yes.”

He is one of many who leave Plehn’s with a little spring in their step. He is one of many who will return when they’re craving another bright spot in their day.

Even Brownlee couldn’t ever truly quit this place. After a decade-long career as an engineer, she came back to work at Plehn's.

“I just missed being here,” she said.

Now, she takes great care to carry on the tradition. Part of that is celebrating 100 years with discounted doughnuts, free cookies and a cake raffle. Part of that is keeping cookies priced at less than $2 and remembering the names of so many regulars.

“It’s a big milestone,” she said. “It’s also a way to say a big thank you.”

If she had to thank everyone who has been to Plehn’s once or twice in their life, there wouldn’t be enough time.

Plehn's Bakery, 3940 Shelbyville Road, is open Tuesday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Reach food reporter Amanda Hancock at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Plehn's Bakery celebrates 100 years of sweet memories in Louisville