After 23 years, Mary Anne and Tim have decided to retire from their business in Melrose, Breads ‘n Bits of Ireland, and will close the store on June 30th. The store catered to a mix crowd from the young and Irish to the old and American; everyone seemed to enjoy stopping in for a scone and a chat.

Tim is from Kerry in Ireland while his wife, Mary Anne, has close family ties to Donegal and is an active member of the Donegal Association here in Boston. When they moved to Melrose in 1972, Tim worked at an architectural company where he continued to work for 25 years. Mary Anne came up with the idea for the store Breads ‘n Bits of Ireland because she had fond memories of visiting tea shops in Ireland. The entire store is filled with themes of family, down to the pots and pans, hanging from a faux fireplace, that originally belonged to Mary Anne’s grandmother.

Keeping the tradition of family alive, Mary Anne and Tim’s four children have also helped keep the business running smoothly over the years. But while some of them now just stop by for a bite to eat, their oldest daughter, Laura, has worked in the store for many years.

When asked what their favorite part about running the business was, Mary Anne and Tim said they enjoyed “seeing the business from beginning to end and making life long friends in the process.” The couple hopes to keep in touch with their loyal customers and plans on seeing them around town after the store closes.

The family left this sign on their door as their way of saying goodbye and thank you to all their customers and friends over the years:

To our Loyal Customers,

After more than 23 years, Breads ‘n Bits of Ireland will be closing on June 30, 2012.

We have loved our time with Breads ‘n Bites of Ireland and we have had an awesome run. There are simply too many people to say thank you to and so many incredible experiences to recount. We are grateful to all our staff, past and present as well as our family and friends. You have made the experience unforgettable.

For over 23 years, Breads ‘n Bits of Ireland has been privileged to serve our community in unique ways and we have been blessed with the support of our community that brought strangers together, who became long lasting friends. Our lives became richer and fuller.

It is the end of an era. It is very sad to say goodbye, and to our customers, our family and friends, you have enhanced our lives for many years and we want to say thank you for the journey.

All the best,

Tim, Laura and Mary Anne