Mancini’s Market Sq. shop closes as Prantl’s buys the site

Mancini’s Bakery in Market Square has closed, making way for the expansion of another bakery — Prantl’s — sometime this year.

Mancini’s debuted its Downtown Pittsburgh store in 2008 and shared space with Prantl’s.

“Emotionally, it was a hard decision [to close]: We were a few months away from a full 10 years in this location,” said Nick Mancini Hartner, owner of the Strip District and Market Square locations. His mother, Mary Mancini Hartner, owns the one in McKees Rocks.

“It has been fun to be a part of the resurgence of Market Square,” he said.

The Strip District location opened in the early 2000s, and the production and retail facility in McKees Rocks is the flagship. James Mancini opened that location in 1926.

Today Mancini’s provides bread products to Giant Eagle, Kuhn’s and Shop ‘n Save, along with restaurants such as Burgatory, Grand Concourse and Tom’s Diner. The bakery turns out more than 10,000 loaves a day, according to the bakery.

The sale of the Market Square location has been in the works for a while, Mr. Mancini Hartner said.

He said the family “wants to tighten up” and focus on the other locations.

Mancini’s McKees Rocks production and retail facility is undergoing an expansion by about 40 percent, he said, and the family hopes it will be ready to open by the fall.

Creator of the burnt almond torte, Prantl’s has been wanting to grow and approached Mancini’s about taking over its Market Square space.

Prantl’s in Market Square will continue to sell Mancini’s bread, so “It’s a win-win situation for us,” Mr. Mancini Hartner said.

Prantl’s was founded by Henry Prantl in 1966 in Shadyside. The third location for Prantl’s debuted in October at 612 Grove St. in Greensburg in the 10,000-square-foot space that had been Anderson’s Market. It recently opened its production facility for retail sales.