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Herb's Bakery in Elgin not closing, owner says

Herb Schwartz has been rumored to be telling people in Elgin that the bakery he opened in 1954 will soon be closed.

Not only is Herb's Bakery not closing or being sold, but Herb has been dead for 15 years, said Wendy Wessel, Herb's daughter, who now owns the bakery with her brother, Erich Schwartz, and their mother, Lynn Schwartz.

“We joke that dad is just out there, walking around, and he's not talking to us?” Wessel said.

During the last few months rumors have been circulating that the bakery is closing, and people have inquired both in person and over the phone if that is true, Wessel said.

At least one person reported someone said that Herb Schwartz was quietly telling people he was going to sell the business, she said. “It really took us off guard,” she said.

The bakery offers everything from bread to wedding cakes, and is especially known for its German pretzel roll, a soft Bavarian-style salted pretzel, Wessel said.

Erich Schwartz took over as the main baker after Herb passed away, while Wessel decorates cakes and deals with customers while their mother mainly does office work.

In last five or so years, a lot of small bakeries have closed, but the Schwartz family keeps at it because it's their passion, Wessel said. “It's hard work, but it can be very rewarding,” she said. “You can be very creative, and you have something to eat all the time.”

As for the rumored sightings of her father, Wessel did say that every so often she feels his presence at the bakery.

“I don't know how to explain it. Once in a great while you get an odd feeling, not very often, that you're not alone,” she said.

  Erich Schwartz, son of the late Herb Schwartz, handles trays of doughnuts for the weekend. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  Cinnamon rolls are turned in the fryer at HerbÂ’s Bakery in Elgin. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
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