Location also had a bit of a star-crossed history
Mike Richard
Special for The Gardner News
One of downtown Gardner’s favorite bakeries, Plainview Bakery, was a Central Street landmark for many years, as seen in this photo from 1960.
Located in what has been called “The Central Building” at 271-277 Central St., it moved there beginning in the late 1950s after originally being located at 19 Parker St.
Plainview Bakery was originally opened on Parker Street by Gustaf Ohman in 1921. Ohman, who previously ran Ohman’s Bakery on Central Street, opened Plainview, which he ran until 1923. It was later operated by Eric Olgander (1924-1925) and then Charles Palvio, who came to this country from Finland in 1913.
Then and Now: Sunrise Donuts and other Gardner bakeries of the past
Taking a look back at the local businesses that had baked-in success
Mike Richard
Special for The Gardner News
It was a smell that permeated the air and was so recognizable in Gardner way back when.
Freshly baked bread, doughnuts, turnovers, muffins, Bismarck’s, crullers, brownies and every other conceivable type of baked goods were turned out of some of Gardner’s best-known bakeries.
One of the most popular among them was Sunrise Donuts, which opened for the first time on Dec. 13, 1956, at 157 West St.
Arthur J. Gallien first began baking doughnuts in his home at 79 Halford St. beginning in 1953, where he primarily sold to coffee shops and grocery stores as well as to the various factories in Gardner.