Market, rebuilt and expanded after fire, reopening
Mike Onesko, owner of the Penncraft Market in Luzerne Township, stands inside the new store, which he plans to open on Saturday.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Fire destroyed the business in June.
Joel Brewton|
Herald-Standard
LUZERNE TWP. — The mouthwatering aroma of fresh-baked bread will once again flavor the early morning air in Penncraft when the Penncraft Market reopens on Saturday.
Owner Mike Onesko said he has received a lot of support from the community in his work to expand and reopen the market after a lightning strike triggered a fire that destroyed the original building in June.
“I’m glad to be back. It’s been a long 10 months,” Onesko said.
He rebuilt the market but made it 50 percent bigger than the old shop, expanded the menu, hired more workers, added merchandise and decided to open at 5 a.m., an hour earlier than before.
Opening earlier will meet the demand of customers who work the early shift at the State Correctional Institution at Fayette, who used to ask him to open earlier so they could buy fresh bread on their way to work.
“The crew will come in at night to have fresh bread first thing in the morning,” Onesko said, “We make all of our bread every day from scratch.”
The staff of 15, which includes all the employees he had before the fire and five additional workers, will make more baked goods, including cakes, cookies and doughnuts and other new menu offerings such as fried and rotisserie chicken.
One thing that won’t change, he said, is the time-tested recipe for the market’s famous pepperoni rolls.
“It’s been the same recipe for 30 years,” Onesko said.
It’s the recipe that the former owners, Ronnie and Mary Jo Sinosky, used up until Onesko bought the business in 2011.
“I use all their recipes,” Onesko said.
All that tasty toiling will be done in a new kitchen that is three times bigger than the old one. A walk-in freezer and cooler provide more storage room than the single units they replaced, he said. Some of the kitchen equipment is new, but some survived the fire and is being reused.
The additional shelf space in the store will be used to offer packaged food, household products and greeting cards. The old store sold only necessities in addition to baked goods, Onesko said.
Delivery trucks will no longer interfere with customers, he said. Deliveries used to be made through the front door, but the delivery area is at the rear of new store.
Onesko said people from Penncraft and the surrounding area have helped him reopen the market.
He said the insurance he had on the old building was sufficient, but the contents were under-insured.
A fundraising dance held last night at the Penncraft Community Center was sold out, and residents have stopped by during the reconstruction and volunteered to help, Onesko said.
Friends helped him disassemble, repair and rebuild the used walk-in cooler he bought.
“People asked to volunteer. Family and friends helped. I received a lot of support,” Onesko said.
He said he plans to hang framed photos of the old building, which was constructed in the late 1930s, on the exterior of the new building.
The market will be open to 8 p.m. seven days a week.