Paul Czjaka, young boy in white suit.

Paul Czjaka, young boy in white suit.

Paul Czjaka; Bob's Bakery;

Black and white portrait of Paul Czjaka when he was a young boy, possibly age 5-6, dressed in a white suit with shorts and a bow tie. Zygmunt, Paul's father, worked as a Baker in Poland during the German occupation in 1939-1945. He later brought his family and baking skills to Chicopee and opened Bob's Bakery on Exchange Street in 1965. The bakery was started by Paul's father, Zygmunt Czajka, in 1965 and remained in business for 56 years. Bob's Bakery was well known for its Polish baked goods, including the Paczi. The family also owned the building at 218 Exchange Street, where the bakery was located. Paul took over the bakery in the 1980s and ran the business with his wife, Dorothy, until it closed in October 2021.

Dorothy Czajka shared some of the family history materials with the Chicopee Public Library. The family has given Chicopee Archives Online permission to digitize and display the items online. The family has kept the physical items.

Chicopee Archives Online

1960s

Black and white photograph;

3" x 5"

Photography

CPL-Bobs-Bakery-family-007