National Bakery & Deli, one of the area’s oldest and busiest bakeries, will open a fourth location in the former V. Richards space at The Plaza shopping center in Brookfield.
The 3,000-square-foot store will open on Labor Day weekend, with owners hoping to tap into the western Brookfield and Waukesha markets.
“We are really excited about this location,” said Jeff Callen, co-owner of National Bakery & Deli.
While many retailers, including grocery stores, have struggled to keep their doors open, National Bakery & Deli has been expanding.
Callen credits the business’s success with its reputation for having quality products and good customer service.
“I live in Cedarburg and I think if we open a fifth store and don’t do it there, people will kill me,” Callen said. “We were looking along Port Washington Road, just north of Bayshore (Town Center), but just couldn’t find a spot.”
National Bakery & Deli was founded in 1925, by Louis Wisniewski. The original store, at 3200 S. 16th St., across from St. Francis Hospital, is still open today.
In 1996, a second location at 13820 W. Greenfield Ave., in Brookfield opened.
Callen and business partner Bryant Krauss purchased National Bakery & Deli nine years ago and opened a third National Bakery & Deli location in 2009, on Broad Street in the Village of Greendale.
Callen said when V. Richards closed in May, he and Krauss took a look at the space and realized it would be a great spot for a fourth location.
The new store will employ about 15 people, bringing the total amount of company employees to almost 70.
“There is a ton of traffic on Bluemound and with all of the new businesses opening up, I think we can tap into a whole different market, which is exciting,” Callen said.
Callen and Krauss also have owned Oak Creek-based Melody Cookies, a 15,000-square-foot wholesale cookie producer since 2014.
