“We’ll miss you.”

That is the way almost every customer concluded their conversations last week as they left Solitro’s Bakery on Cranston Street, carrying stacks of waxy white boxes tied with string.

The bakery, family owned and operated for nearly 75 years, is closing its doors on Aug. 18, putting an end to a sweet tradition of handmade breads, cakes and pastries that have made the business a much-loved area institution.

“We always had something from Solitro’s,” said Bruce Soscia who changed the timing of a trip back to Rhode Island from Florida last week so he could go to Solitro’s one last time. He brought his daughter and granddaughter and ordered some of the favorites that he has selected for years from the bakery’s glass display cases.

“We had to get the pizza strips and the big bakery cookies,” he said. “Solitro’s has always been part of this community.”

“It was just time,” said owner Ellie (Solitro) Pennacchini. She’s ready for retirement and the rest of the family is ready to move on as well.

“We make everything by hand and that’s a lot of hard work,” she said.

The bakery was started by Pennacchini’s grandfather, Michael L. Solitro, in 1950, when he opened for business in a smaller building, across from the current location. He came to this country from Vieste, Italy, and it did not take long for the bakery to become popular.

He passed along his recipes and his talent to his four sons — Lawrence, Michael, Armando and George — who continued to build the business.

They worked together for decades, punctuating long days at the ovens and baking tables with laughter, spirited conversations and, sometimes, a little wine. Their children grew up in the bakery, learning the business from the ground up.

Pennacchini, who always loved being in the kitchen, said she decided to buy the bakery in 2001 to take some of the strain off her father, while ensuring he could still work there. It still remained very much a family affair, with her five siblings, and nieces and nephews helping to keep the bakery running — learning everything from how to work the counter to making fine, flaky Danish pastries.

If you want to do it right, running a bakery is a tough business, Pennacchini and her sisters said, noting that the bakers typically started their days before dawn, and there are few holidays. Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter only increase customer demand.

Very little has changed over the years, she said. Most of the items they sell have been on their menu for decades and are Italian specialties or old-fashioned confections that are hard to find elsewhere. The selections range from Eccles cakes (a puffy hand cake with a sweet currant filling) to colorful Russian tea cakes soaked in rum-flavored syrup and topped with bright pink frosting.

Their Italian specialties include the delicate Sfogliatelle — a shell-shaped pastry made of layers of paper-thin crust and filled with a firm, rich custard. And then there is the bakery’s signature Zuppa inglese cakes which are always in demand for special occasions. Covered in clouds of whipped cream, the cakes consist of layers of sponge cake which are separated by rich chocolate and vanilla custard fillings.

Pennacchini knows how to make every item, keeping a loose-leaf binder with her grandfather’s recipes on her baker’s bench. “This is my gold,” she said, flipping through the pages. “I grew up here and learned by watching … dad and my uncles.”

The family plans on selling the building, but not the Solitro name. Pennacchini said they have been heartened by so many people stopping by for one last visit and one last chance to get their favorite pastries.

“I’ll miss it, especially all the customers — they are like family to us,” she said. “But it’s time to move on.”

Editor’s Note: Barbara Polichetti is a Cranston resident, freelance writer and frequent contributor to the Cranston Herald.