Dormont Borough is marking its 100th birthday this week and over the course of that time many businesses have come and gone. But the Potomac Bakery has remained a fixture on Potomac Avenue since 1927.

Dormont was founded in 1909, making it the first independent municipality in the South Hills. The town is marking this important birthday date with activities, concerts and fireworks through Tuesday.

Many residents say they will be stopping in to get a, err, taste of their town history at the Potomac Bakery.

The bakery was started by Aenna and Wendell Fleckenstein and 82 years later remains in the family. Current owners Bob and Lynda Tate represent the third generation to run the local gem.

Each morning they help line the store's display cases with freshly baked cookies, donuts, bread, muffins, pastries, cup cakes, brownies and cakes.

"There is a lot of tradition and memories here," Carolyn Tate Lang, Bob Tate's sister, said. "My grandparents had four kids, and they all learned to decorate [sweets]. It was a big part of my childhood too; I started working here full-time when I got married."

Mr. Tate opens the store at 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday. The store stays open until around 6 p.m, most days; but workers are often in the bakery 24 hours a day.

"My other brother used to say my dad had an 11th commandment: Thou shall not sleep," Mrs. Lang said.

Many of the recipes are from the original generation of owners. Mrs. Lang said the brownies have long been one of the most popular items, and many customers come in regularly to stock up on their favorites.

The women in the store busy baking are not immune to the power of their treats.

"We love our products," Mrs. Lang said. "We eat them, too."

The bakery has expanded in recent years. The family opened a second location in Mt. Lebanon and now has more than 40 employees between the two stores. Some of them have worked in the bakery for over 30 years. Mr. and Mrs. Tate also expanded the delivery business when they took over. The shop now delivers its goods to more than 65 sites, including hospitals, hotels and country clubs.

The store itself has grown as well. The bakery has always been on Potomac Avenue. Mrs. Lang said her grandparents did not want to name it Fleckenstein Bakery. But the bakery moved to his current location on the avenue four years ago when a bigger storefront became available.

"When my grandparents ran the bakery, it was just retail," Mrs. Lang said. "Now it is so much more."

The bakery recently expanded its lineup with a foray into specialty decorated cakes. A house favorite is one topped with Oreo crumbs.

Even though the bakery continues to update itself, it never loses its old-time charm. It also never forgets about its number one asset, its customers, Mrs. Lang said.

"We take customer suggestions, as opposed to a supermarket," she said.

One thing that keeps customers coming back is the family atmosphere. The older Bob Tate, the current owner's father, is turning 80 in July but still comes to the bakery to greet the customers and check up on the younger generation.

Family members who have moved stay connected by requesting treats every time anyone from Dormont comes to visit. The bakery's brownies have traveled as far as San Francisco.

Though the white takeout box may not be famous on the West Coast, it is easily spotted on Potomac Avenue. There are other businesses along the street that have been staples for many years, including the Potomac Pharmacy, which opened two years after the bakery in 1929, and a tailor who has been in business since the 1930s.

They, too, have all stood witness to most of Dormont's history.

"The town has had its ups and downs, but now it's having a resurgence," Jeff Rosewier, the pharmacy owner, said. "But it's still a lot of the same businesses and people."

While there may be businesses similar to Potomac Bakery in terms of longevity, it is hard to compete with the bakery in terms of popularity.

"Whatever you have in that box is going to be good," a Dormont policeman said to a customer walking to her car from the store. "I guarantee it."

For more, call the bakery at 412-531-5067.