By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Carol Lippert of Cassopolis and her daughter Michele Prillwitz of Niles have been connected by cooking for years.
Prillwitz's paternal grandmother, Laura Lear of Arkansas, would always make every meal of the day large when family was around. Grandma Lear also made sure to include Prillwitz in while preparing each feast.
The mother and daughter combo have continued their family tradition by opening a new shop together in downtown Niles.
County Down Pastries and Deli, 115 N. Third St., was established from the beginning with family in mind.
The women named the shop after the northeast region of Ireland from which Lippert's grandfather James McElroy came to the U.S.
The pair continued the family theme inside the store by hanging pictures of relatives, including a couple of Grandma Lear on her graduation trip to Canada.
Lippert and Prillwitz decorated the remaining wall space with a 1905 edition of the Niles Daily Star delivered to great Grandpa Iva Hoag. Plus, old photos picked up at rummage sales and a tin Lending Library sign found while cleaning up the store were also hung. Many of the finds were possible left from the office supply store that occupied the space during the 1920s and 1930s.
Prillwitz said the renovation also uncovered South Bend, Ind. bus tickets from 1946, as well as equally old copies of South Bend and Chicago newspapers.
Surrounded by the family memories and historical finds were the real goods of the shop - fresh breads, pastries, cakes, croissants and sandwich meats. The gourmet breads, muffins and danishes are delivered fresh each morning by Bit of Swiss of Stevensville.
Prillwitz and Lippert have used the delivered goods to produce their own menu of deli sandwiches, soups and salads.