Westmont’s McMillan’s Bakery is closing on Sunday
The family had listed the Westmont building for sale last fall. But it now says May 18 will be the last day for the bakery, which opened in 1939.
McMillan’s Bakery, a South Jersey staple known for treats including almost ludicrously overfilled cream doughnuts, announced that May 18 would be its last day.
Since last fall, when the building was listed for sale, the days had been numbered for the family-owned bakery, which has plied its trade since 1939 on Haddon Avenue near Cuthbert Boulevard in Haddon Township’s Westmont section. The building and business are owned by descendants of Arline Biemiller, a daughter of founders George and Evelyn McMillan, who died in November 2023 at age 85. The building, behind the familiar green awning, is still on the market, according to a real estate listing.
At the time of last fall’s announcement, the family said it had hoped to stay open “for as long as possible throughout the duration of the sale process.” On Facebook, the bakery announced on Friday, “The time has come to say goodbye. We have worked hard to continue serving our beloved community for as long as possible, but as they say, ‘all good things must come to an end.’ We’ve had many offers to buy our beloved business, but our matriarch insisted that our family business end with our family. She was clear that she did not want our name or our legacy to be carried on by anyone outside our fourth-generation family. And so, we are honoring her wishes and closing our doors after 86 wonderful years in business. Our building might still stand, but the McMillan’s legacy has come to an end.”
The note was signed with love from the family.
At least McMillan’s fans got to experience one last Easter with its iced, egg-shaped pound cakes and a final Christmas season with its fruitcakes, which were shipped nationally. One of Biemiller’s daughters divulged a secret to the fruitcake in a 2012 interview: The fruit — cherries, pineapple wedges, and raisins — is soaked for a week in Grand Marnier liqueur. Even recently, the bakery maintained a six-day schedule.
Biemiller and her husband, Gary, who died in 2011, ran the bakery, now in its fourth generation. The couple’s South Jersey home, the Triple Kay Farm on 23 acres in Gibbsboro, was sold this year, according to real estate records.
Generations-old, family-owned bakeries today seem to be falling by the wayside, as they face competition from supermarkets and discount stores and, sometimes, a shortage of relatives who don’t want to maintain their often-grueling schedules. Still, artisan bakers are popping up all over, specializing in a wide range of products, including breads and cakes.
The family could not be immediately reached for comment Friday.