By Marc Katz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer

In the early 1970s, Rinaldo’s Bake Shoppe on West Fairview Avenue in Dayton used to turn out 180 to 200 challahs a week – along with counter shelves full of other goodies – selling out long before Shabbos lights were kindled.

Today, John Stolfo, the second generation to own and bake in the shop, hopes he can sell 30 a week.

The recipe has not changed. The light tan challahs with the smooth, cake-like texture and taste are as good as ever.

What has changed are his customers — not so much changed as moved away. And that’s not the only thing that has changed for the bakery, which was born in 1970 out of the old Owens Bakery when John’s father, Rinaldo, broke away from Owens, where he had worked since 1965.

Owens, which had kosher certification for a while, was run by Claire and John Owens, who eventually closed their business. Today, Rinaldo’s is certified as a kosher pareve bakery by Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin of Chabad.

In the days of the shelves full of challahs, there were also plenty of cookies, doughnuts and cakes to be had as well, fare that could only be bought at a small establishment such as Rinaldo’s or a grocery.

Today, gas stations have become convenience stores for one-stop shoppers who fill up their tummies while also filling their vehicles. Rinaldo’s never moved as the Jewish community closed or sold several north facilities that used to shop Rinaldo’s on a regular basis, including the Jewish Community Center and Covenant House nursing home in Trotwood, Hillel Academy when it was on North Main Street, and Shomrei Emunah Synagogue on Salem Avenue.

“The Jewish community is pretty strong, but it doesn’t have (all the) family dinners anymore. Everybody’s on the fly,” John said.

The JCC, in a different configuration, is now in Centerville; Hillel is housed atop Beth Abraham Synagogue, which moved to Oakwood; and Beth Jacob Synagogue membership is much smaller than it used to be. On a recent morning, Dennis Day, Beth Abraham’s custodian, was in the bake shop purchasing five challahs for the synagogue.

For a while, the neighborhood where Rinaldo’s stayed turned rough, although John said the area is much safer now than it had been just a few years ago.

With all those factors coming into play, the bakery struggles to stay open, relying on a cake business and some outside sales, mainly from Cincinnati.

“Customers just aren’t coming in like they used to,” John said recently. “It seems like I get larger orders from Cincinnati. As far as leaving, I don’t want to close. I don’t know what else I would do.”

Although the shop seems full of good things to eat, Stolfo long ago cut down to two counter persons and his “retired” 85-year-old father, the store’s namesake, works for no salary. Hours of operation have also been cut, although John insists he has no plans to close.

Rinaldo’s has had satellite shops from time to time, including one in the Dayton Arcade and one in Kettering, but doesn’t operate them anymore. John does go to the farmer’s market on Philadelphia Drive to sell goods there.

“A lot of it is the community is leaving (town),” John said. “Some people don’t know we’re still here.”

To read the complete March 2014 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.