I remember the debate we had as to whether we should invest in an eight foot refrigerator to keep the produce fresh. We decided against it, as it was too big an investment. When I shop in the big superstores today and see rows and rows of refrigerators, I can‘t help but think back to the days when buying one piece of equipment was such a big deal.

There were five main bakers that supplied us with bread. Crown, Hornby, Stewarts, Kenny’s, and Enterprise and later Montague Bakery and they all j ockeyed for the best and most shelf space. Then a man by the name of Jim Carragher brought in for the first time sliced bread from the mainland. It was a mini revolution in itself and changed forever the way people bought bread.

Kenny’s bakery is the only Charlottetown bakery that is still operating and it has a very interesting history as told to me by John MacInnis who now owns and operates the bakery.

Mary (Nantes) and Martin Kenny were the original founders and operators of the bakery. Mary, born in Kelly’s Cross, was a school teacher and Martin, originally from New Brunswick, worked in the woods. They spent some time in the United States but after Martin began to lose his sight they returned to the Island and bought Storeys grocery store, a small store on the corner of Upper Queen Street and Bayfield Street kitty comer from St. Jean’s School. Like most stores it consists of a small room in the front of the house and they lived in the rest of the building.

To supplement her income, Mary would bake and display fresh bread in the window which also served to cool the bread. Holy Redeemer Church was located where St. Jean’s School now stands and parishioners could not escape the smell of the fresh baked goods of Mrs. Kenny. Thus in 1932, Mrs. Kenny’s Bakery became a household word in the Charlottetown area.

Jack Kenny, son of Mary and Martin, was a Naval Officer and was transferred back to Charlottetown. He and his wife Victoria (MacInnis) took over the bakery business. When Jack died in 1975, his son John Paul took over the bakery and in 1979 it was sold to its present owner, John MacInnis. John MacInnis is a nephew of Victoria, wife of Jack Kenney. John MacInnis’ father was William Patrick MacInnis who operated a small store on Spring Park Road and Green Street for twenty-five years where Cy’s Lunch Counter is located. Later John took over the Shoppe on Belvedere Ave. and

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