Country Cousins
In 1968, Marion Reinhardt and his wife, Mary Kramer, residents of Grant’s Lick, decided to find a new way to make a living as farming was no longer a suitable option for them. With encouragement from friends and the offer of three-months free rent, they opened a small business on the corner of Washington and Main Streets in Alexandria, hoping to put Mary’s renowned baking skills to good use in a bakery they named Country Cousins.
They were quite unsure how this venture would do. Was there enough nearby interest in doughnuts, pastries, and other sweet creations? Would customers find their goods delicious? How would life as a business owner be?
The answer to the first two was a resounding “yes” as their business turned into a beloved local destination, whether for adults headed to work or for youngsters on a Saturday morning or other day off from school. Getting a tasty doughnut from there felt like a special occasion. Ownership went well enough for the bakery to survive snd thrive.
For half-a-century, this small bakery continued to feed its variety of delicious sweets to its local customers, who continued to enjoy them, but all good things must come to an end.
In 1998, after years of considering the unthinkable, owner Michael Reinhardt decided that Country Cousins had reached the end of its local mission, closing its doors for the final time on December 23. He sold the business and its new owners moved it to Slovakia, a small central European country.
The building formerly filled with the pleasant odor of freshly baked goods for so many years sat vacant for a brief time but now is the home of a local pizza place.