After more than a year, Denise's re-opens.

NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Their sign says it all, it was a sweet celebration indeed Tuesday morning at Denise's Delicacies, a North Philadelphia staple.

The bakery sustained heavy damage in a kitchen fire just before Easter last year and was forced to close down.

A little more than a year later, Denise is BACK and her faithful showed up bright and early to get back in, and get those sweets.

Lisa Freeman from Hatfield put it this way "I have been waiting for this for a long time. We haven't had a birthday cake in over a year."

No Denise's Delicacies, no cake. That's how faithful this bakery crowd is.

Lisa Dawson of Germantown was also eager "I have been waiting for this to open up since the day they closed."

So what was a few more hours this morning. Oh they waited, patiently, in a line that stretched down north 22nd street, just to get back in.

Cassandra Tart of North Philly couldn't wait "to get the best cakes in town, Denises, been looking forward to this day. I am so glad it's here, hip hop hooray!"

For Denise, it's been a long road to getting these doors back open and these pound cakes, cupcakes, pies, donuts and danishes back on the shelves.

The moment so sweet, she couldn't hold back happy tears.

Bakery owner Denise Gause was overjoyed "It has taken us 14 months since the fire to get to this point, so it has been a long journey a lot of challenges, but we're back!"

And so are the orders! Thousands of them.

One shoper exclaimed "It's like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving!"

Many had their favorites "you're a a dozen strawberry cupcakes" "I come for the chocolate chip pecan cookies. Yea yea!" "red velvet cake" "I got my favorite, the butter pound cake with the vanilla icing"

And Cassandra Clay of North Philadelphia knew her favorite would be there, because she had the golden ticket, number 1!

She also knew what she was going to do with that ticket "I am going to keep this number 1, that means I was first in line waiting on her to be open and I've been waiting on her all year and I can't wait, I'm just happy"

BIG smiles and BIG orders all around!! Remember Lisa Freeman from Hatfield? Who went without a birthday cake?

"Oh man! i'm just getting started! I'm getting cookies, donuts, a cake that says welcome back Denise I am just loading up today I will be on sweet overload!."

She did leave with a few bags. Denise's has become a family affair, with 3 generations of customers telling us Tuesday that this is where ALL of their birthday cakes have come from, for decades.