PHOTO PROVIDED A view of Mel’s Deli & Cafe, 365 Broad St., Montoursville.

Mel’s Deli & Cafe has been a mainstay of the area for over two decades, and as the eatery celebrates its 25th anniversary, owner and operator Melony Hartranft looks back on the success of the business and offers a glimpse of what she plans to serve up next.

Mel’s originally opened at 45 W. Fourth Street in downtown Williamsport before quickly outgrowing that location, necessitating a move to Pine Street.

“We loved all of our people. Everybody working in the courthouse, the law offices, the judges and the banks and all the people that worked downtown, that was our clientele,” Hartranft said.

Unfortunately, they were unable to remain in that space after their lease was pulled out from under them.

However, Hartranft would take the opportunity to raise her children as well as continue to build the catering side of the business.

She also stayed in touch with many of her customers, faxing them a menu, and making deliveries every Friday.

“We did great, but I missed the everyday people coming in and out, so I said to my husband, I really want to have a storefront,” she explained.

That itch would lead Hartranft to set up shop in their current location, 365 Broad St, Montoursville, 11 years ago, only a few blocks from where she grew up and just around the corner from where daughter, Aubri Pyles attended daycare.

“It definitely was a full circle, going from you dropping us off here every day, to many years later, we’re back building a clientele,” Pyles, who works alongside her mother at the cafe and acts as venue coordinator at their catering venture, Twin Meadows Farm.

“We gutted this place, and when we got it in, uncovered old tin ceilings that were originally in here, but had been covered by a drop ceiling,” Hartranft said.

“We put new drywall and everything in here, so the tin ceilings and the hardwood flooring are the only things original here, and I love how it turned out,” she said.

The new location also came with a built-in Williamsport clientele that eagerly embraced the new location, as Mel’s quickly established a customer base in the heart of Montoursville.

“We have so many people that are basically like family,” Hartranft said, among them local first responders.

“They’ll come in between calls, and the next thing you know, they’ll get a call, and we just keep their food back there for them until they can come back,” she said.

Mel’s offerings have vastly expanded in the years since moving to Montoursville, including several new breakfast items, among them sausage gravy, cream dried beef, scrapple and corned beef hash and much more.

“We have our basic menu, but then we do a lot of specialty stuff, like our coconut dream pancake stack. “It’s like dessert for breakfast, and we do avocado toast,” Hartranft said.

Mel’s also offers seasonal specialty drinks, as well, which are created in collaboration with the cafe’s employees.

Among their biggest lunch sellers are their salads, made with locally sourced hydroponic lettuce from Berger’s Greenhouse in Allenwood.

In fact, many of the products and ingredients utilized by Mel’s are locally sourced, including Poco Farm honey, non-in-house-made dressings, courtesy of Village Eatinghouse and fresh baked bread from Lycoming Bakery in South Williamsport.

The vast majority of recipes used at the cafe, described by Hartranft, as “Pennsylvania cooking,” have been handed down by families over the years.

“We do fresh ground coffee here, and you can buy half pound by the pound. We probably have about 20 different flavors,” she said, adding that they are also available as whole beans for those that prefer to grind their own coffee at home.

Asked how it feels to reach 25 years in the business, Hartranft called the milestone “surreal.”

“When I had to close my restaurant down, it wasn’t my choice, so I was very heartbroken for a long time because it was thriving,” she said.

“So when we reopened here, I just hoped and prayed that everything would go great, and I just love all my customers, and we have fun,” Hartranft said, adding that while it is certainly hard work, she has a great team backing her.

“I have my daughter by my side, and I always say, ‘my ride or die,'” she said.

“I’m very happy she chose to stay working with me, because she did a two years associate degree in business, and when she graduated, she decided to stay on with the family business,” Hartranft said, stressing that if there ever comes a time when Pyles decides to pursue a new career path, that will be just fine.

Hartranft and Pyles are now looking forward to their upcoming 25th anniversary celebration on June 25.

“We’re going to be open from 7 to 8 p.m. so people that are working throughout the day can come and celebrate that evening for dinner,” she said.

A few of the things Hartranft has in mind for the celebration include a possible dinner special and t-shirt and gift card giveaways.

“We have our baker making cake and cupcakes, so we give out fruit cake and things like that. We have something going on all the time here, so it’s gonna be fun,” she said.

Beyond that Hartranft and Pyles are hard at work planning the next additions to the menu, including acai bowls, set to roll out just in time for summer.

“We’re getting ready to revamp the front area to add a better workstation for our staff, making drinks and the acai bowls and the smoothie bowls, and we’re going to make a little bit bigger bakery area too,” Hartranft said.

“We all loved Rosenkranz, and the nostalgia of it, and everybody’s very sad to see it go,” Hartranft said, adding that retirement is a natural part of any business.

“So we’re trying to add more baked goods to our menu. We have a dessert case that we carry at least six different cakes and pies that people can come in and get by the slice, and we’re going to add more to that,” she said.

“We always have cupcakes, cookies and things like that, but I want it to be displayed better, so we’re looking forward to that, also,” Hartranft said.