WhoooPeeeee!!!!!

Is it just me, or these too much? Hee Hee! I just love making them! I call them Sally's Woopee Pies and I try to put as much cream in the middle as will fit without it tipping over!

I kinda have a fun job, right? :o)

He Came Back

So today, the man I KNEW must have bought one of the under baked loaves of bread last week came back to the bakery. I saw his big maroon, Ram truck pull in front of my window and my heart leaped. I can make it up to him, I thought! (Then I thought, ma'an I need help -- I should NOT remember this man or what he drives....)

He came in and I immediately said to him, "Sir, I believe I owe you a loaf a bread." To which he replied, "Why, because you under baked it?"

"Why yes."

"No you don't young lady...I toasted every last piece of that bread and it was just fine toasted."

How can one person be so gracious?! I don't know, but I can tell you this, I aspire to be like him. He leaves to drive back to Nevada tomorrow and I may never see him again. But he has left an impression on my heart and a lesson in kindness that I shall not soon forget. He bought another loaf of bread and a box full of goodies to take with him on the drive.

I'll say it again...I have the WORLD'S BEST CUSTOMERS!!

Quickie

Hi!! Just a quickie today to tell you all that while I haven't gotten over my bread failures from my last post, I am keeping my Sally Sunshine disposition about it all and plowing (or rather, kneading) through it! I know that failures and mistakes are just life's way of teaching lessons...I just wish my lessons were self absorbed and no one else was affected by them.

Also, just a little marketing kind of blog for today as I have to tell you that I am SO excited for tomorrow's new thing! We are working with the CornerStone Restaurant to do Hot Ham and Rolls for tomorrow! How fun! How Wisconsin!! :o) I'm making Kaiser Rolls and Dill Cottage Cheese Rolls as our rolls and we will start at 10:00 and serve while they last. Now if only there was a Packer Game to go along with this!! :o)

I hope I get more than three strikes!

OK, so I have had "bad days" before at work -- some so bad that all I could do was weep and say to myself "my job kicked my as... today". Today is one of those days that brings me sadness with an appreciation for my new found, gracious, "customer friends".

And you are probably NOT going to believe me when I tell you this, but I must tell you that it is 100% true.

Three people, yes THREE, came into the bakery today with apologetic looks and a brown paper bag in their hands. Since I don't live anywhere near NYC or the President, I was pretty sure I only had the fear of bad bakery in the bags. All three of them had brought me back the loaves of bread they bought to show me how poorly I had baked them (my words, not theirs). All three loaves were drastically underbaked and they were all kindly bringing them in to show me in hopes that I could "fix" it before it happened to others. They wouldn't let me refund their money, but I was able to give them another loaf of bread (and please Lord, tell me I baked them well!!).

It was VERY gracious of them to bring those back to me, to try to lift my spirits in doing so, and to try to help me not make that mistake again. However, no matter how I spin the tale, what I am left with in my heart is the fact that I disappointed my customers. And, I am deeply sorry that this is what my customers felt - disappointed.

I hate that.

Hate.

And I hope that if there are other customers who got this same poorly baked bread, that they too will let me try to make it right by them. To me, it's not just a $3 loaf of bread. To me, it's a direct reflection on me and my ability to produce something worthy of my customers.

Three strikes. Ma'an...thank God there are more innings in this game!

Whoopee Pies!

I made my version of Whoopee Pies today and they look so scrumptious! I hope they will be a hit! I also made a raspberry cream cheese torte today that stands about a mile high and the Cornerstone is wanting to sell it! How great is that?!

It was VERY slow in the bakery today. Like shockingly slow. Thus the reason I was able to find time to make these great yummy desserts. But it did play with my (I'm a first born) ego - bad! All day I kept thinking that people were upset because I didn't have enough to offer and I know I am getting more and more and more in the cases, but you only get one first chance, right? I hope that's not the case and that today is just a weird Tuesday. Although, the bakery's loss is the Cross Country team's gain as they are having a bake sale today at my daughter's meet, so guess who's gonna get a lot of stuff to sell!? :o) Well, you gotta look to the positive, right?

We (The Cornerstone Restaurant & Sally's Sweet Shoppe) will be starting to serve Hot Ham & Rolls THIS SUNDAY!! I'm excited about this! First because I love being in partnership with the local businesses and secondly because, HELLO -- it's Hot Ham and Rolls!! I am going to be making our Hard Rolls AND our Dill Rolls to offer. I wanted to do something different for our customers -- something they can't get at the store, etc. I hope this is a hit because I would love to continue to do it!

Well, gotta run to the Cross Country meet -- there's bakery to sell after all!! :o)

Ahhhhh...

So today is my first real "day off" since opening the bakery (and who are we kiddin', since weeks before that too). I woke up this morning and felt a little like saying "ahh". It's good to rest. Good to take breaks. Good to recharge. And while I certainly no longer have a job where people are angry about what isn't working on their home or their store we just built or are building, I still need to know that I have the time to manage and make the other parts of my life work (like laundry, our home, our meal plans, my other obligations). It's good to have balance.

It's also good for me because when I'm away from the "doing" I can start "being" again. I can "BE" creative, BE energized, BE organized, BE ready for all the doing that will begin again tomorrow. When I was at the log home company, our President (and my now friend) said to me, "when you are ready to stop DOING everything and start BEING everything, this company will soar". I didn't get that, entirely, then, but I so do now. For if I stopped doing all these tasks myself and taught others on my team(s) how to do them great, the company would have that many more people doing a great job. Right now, obviously, it's only me doing it all, but on my days off, I will use my energy to create new ways of the bakery to be and someday, God (and the sweet little town of Genesee Depot) willing, I will have staff and create lots of little Sally Sunshines to joyfully create treats and moments for our customers.

And I've already had my first creative idea! I'm thinking about offering more savory items for breakfast such as a quiche of the day and "hot pockets" (breakfast sandwiches wrapped in bread dough and baked). Something I must try soon!

My baby sister has left us and while I am sooo sad to see her go home, I'm so happy she got to be here to see our little bakery and I was glad I got to see her face light up when she saw it! We also got our framed photographic art on the walls this weekend. I'm excited to have my own little "art gallery" on our walls. All of the pictures are taken by Captured Moments and all (except the ones given to me as a sweet gift) :o) are for sale. I think they are simply lovely!

Hope to see you all again...TOMORROW! :o)

Two Week Anniversary

It's our two week anniversary today and while today was NOTHING like our first Wednesday, I'm in part, thankful.... I am starting to get a bit of a groove going so my breads are done by early to mid-mornings and I am offering new things in addition to the "standards" and by late morning, I have my cases with many items to choose. Phew!

Today I made a blueberry crumb cake to add to our breakfast goodies and may I just say, it looked so stinkin' beautiful! I didn't try it, but I sold it all, loved making it, and was quite impressed with how pretty it looked when finished. It's a great recipe and one I will add to our offerings (unlike the buttermilk biscuits one!) :o) I also made my caramel corn (since my husband has been buggin' me about it) and will have that offer by tomorrow as well. I never liked caramel corn before I came up with this recipe and now I gotta tell ya', I'm a bit of a fan!

My baby sister (can you still say that even though she is 32??) is here for a short visit (from Georgia) so I'm gonna keep this brief. When choosing between luvin' her and this, well, let the love begin!!

Have a sweet afternoon!

Mondays

We were open today for our first Monday. I know this is probably wrong, but I prayed that the "rumors" would be true and that Monday would prove to be a day that I could close the shop so I could have a day off. Well they were definitely right - it was slower than molasses in the bakery today.

Judy at Cornerstone Restaurant, who I have come to trust the sage advice of and five years of experience in this sweet little town, told me it's one of her best days due to the fact that so many of the other businesses are closed and told me to make sure I tested the waters before deciding to be closed for sure. I sure am thankful for her and glad I did so I don't have to worry on my days off IF I had made the right decision.

I'm excited about what I did get done this weekend and today. The new cooler case actually has some delicious desserts in it as we speak, there are four different kinds of cookies in the dry case and Kelly and I made Lemon Bars and Cream Cheese Brownies among other items today as well. It's starting to look and feel like a bakery!!

I'm going to make DILL BREAD tomorrow! Feel free to call if you want some saved!

Sweet Dreams!

Sayin' Thanks!

My sister in law, Lisa, came and worked in the bakery on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Yes, she IS the one that made my oh-so-clever Open/Closed sign, suggestion box, sample platter and YES she is also the one who WILL have some of her beautiful homemade celebration cards for sale in the bakery soon. I tease her that she is my Executive Creative Director (and boy is SHE!) but she was also such a mule for me this past weekend...and a great friend!

I always call her my sister in law, but she called me out on that this weekend, and she is dead right. She is my friend and she loves me. A Sister in Law doesn't spend two days helping me and create endless things for my bakery that no-one else has or that puts all her energy into wanting for my success. A friend does that.

So Anastasia (of COURSE I have a nickname for her!!!) :o), thank you my FRIEND for loving me, for raising me up, for busting your hump to help me, and for believing so strongly in the success of my little sweet shoppe! Sally really appreciated your help this weekend and your companionship!

Sweet Dreams!

Keeping Up...

...NOT!

I really am trying! My goal is to fill the counter in the mornings with lots and lots of morning treats and then fill the display case for the afternoon visitors. I haven't filled the case once. It's so frustrating. I am trying so hard to give customers lots and lots of choices, but I am not doing a very good job. And while this last statement is NOT a complaint, I feel like I'm letting people down (something my "little girl inside" hates hates hates doing). So maybe I should just say that I am sorry and that I WILL achieve my goal soon and get my groove on.

Maybe I should also be a little more generous with myself, but we all know that's not gonna happen...let's not pretend I don't fit the "first born" role to a tee! :o)

I'll get there, I know, but I wish I already was. But I can say this...I'm not ready for a Grand Opening yet, that's for sure!! :o)

Celebrations!

Well, today was our one week anniversary and our very first customers came in again today to indulge a little (thanks Joyce and Jeff!!). It got me thinking, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have pictures of the different celebration treats and cakes I make WITH the recipient -- not just of the cake! I don't want to remember the cake I made, I want to know how it touched the person that it honored! You know?

I mean really...think about how much thought you put into making the decisions about the special cakes/cookies you order - colors, what it says, flavors, and why you pick them. It's a special thing.

So, in that light, I received this picture from my good friend, Carole. She turned 41 on Sept. 1st and while it was a very big and busy day for me at the bakery (our opening day), she still came to pop in on HER special day to see how MY special day was going. I was ready for her and then she thanked me by sharing this picture with me. And doesn't it just say it all?

I love this new "tradition". I hope all of our customers will do this for me! It made my day and I loved being there ~ in a way!

Meet Sally's First Customers!

Been meaning to do this all week!

Went to the bakery for my first day of work around 5:00 in the morning on Wednesday (thinking I would be able to make enough bakery for our "soft opening" day). I was anxiously watching the clock while baking and then 6:27 am came around - three minutes until opening. Will they come? Will this work? Was I outta my mind for thinking this would work?

I prepared to go put the coffee out in the pot and then take the flag out and turn the OPEN sign around for the first time.

I never got it there -- with any of it! As I looked out of my big ol' picture window, I see a cute couple doing sign language outside of window -- I'm pretty sure it was the universal signs for "Are you open yet and is the coffee brewed?". I signed back - "Yes, of course, come in - I'll get the door"!

So now, when I tell the story of how Sally's Sweet Shoppe began, I can tell the story by saying, "they were waiting for me to open"! And they were! Meet Joyce and Jeff...Sally's Sweet Shoppe's very first customers! (didn't get a picture of their doggie, but around Christmas time, I hope they'll bring him back for homemade doggie treats!!!). Welcome to history (I hope) Joyce & Jeff! Thanks for making my day and my story that much sweeter!!

Labor Day

Sally's is closed for the day today. I will, of course, be there for just a bit, but we are closed for the holiday. Happy Labor Day everyone!! Hope you all enjoy a little indulgent rest today in honor of all of our hard labors! C Ya Tuesday!! :o)

God Just Keeps Shining Down on Me!

When my husband and I started this whole "I should start a bakery" idea in May, I kept seeing little signs from God that I was making the right decisions and he kept sending me "gifts" as I call them. First was finding this quaint, little place to PUT a bakery (and with a FANTASTIC landlord at that). Followed up by the enthusiastic "how soon can you open" response by the town committee. Then I found a mixer and other equipment (used) that I could afford and all were in fabulous condition (not to mention the lovely families that I bought it all from). Fast forward to opening day and with nothing more than a poster board in the window, I was overwhelmed by visitors and customers to my new little sassy bakery!

Then this....

A sweet little bakery in Rochester does not want to bake as much anymore as they want to be more of a full service restaurant/diner. Well, I got a call early on in the week from the owner telling me that he "heard" that I may want a refrigerated bakery case and that he would sell it to me very cheap. Well, I don't really have room -- I suppose I could fit a small, say 4' case, but it would be tight. It would fit, but it would be as big as it could be.

Guess what my husband is picking up tomorrow? I KNOW, RIGHT?! Frank and Nancy just really want their case to "go to a good home" and I couldn't be more grateful to them. I have so many wonderful things that I would want to bake and put in the case -- my own cheesecakes, tortes, cream desserts, and on and on and on...Just another blessing from God in my opinion.

Now to find the time to get all that baking done! We're selling so much to all these lovely customers (and boy do I mean that!) that I can't keep up. Well, I'll find a way I tell you! But for now, I think I shall not beat myself up about that to close our first week and instead reflect on all the treasures that I have been blessed with in our first week of business.

Seems like I know what my post tomorrow should be about?! :o)

Sweet Dreams!

Day Two

Well, day two was just as fabulous as Day One, only less hectic. We sold out of all the morning pastries before lunch and that is always a good thing (cuz I hate waste) and I started to get stuff filled inside of the pretty display case in front. I say started cuz we sold it faster than I could put it in the case! No REALLY!! Simply fantastic.

I need to make more bread though. I wasn't planning on doing a lot of breads because we have a great bread bakery just about 5 minutes away and I thought people were good with that. And they are from the standpoint of "yes it's good bread", but not from "but it's not here right now". So, I get that - or rather am getting that. And I will make more bread.

Had a suggestion from a customer today that I liked. Once we get rolling and have a grip on what we are doing, she would like to see regular stuff on certain days. Such as: On Tuesdays, she knows she can count on the dill bread. And she's right, that's what customers like, want, need. So I shall.

The getting a grip...that's the hard part! :o) Well, at least I learned how to punch a sale into the cash register. Can't figure out how to punch in the change to give, but I was good in math in school! :o)

Love the suggestions that customers are sharing with me. LOVE that they are sharing!! Love that they think of it as THEIR bakery (cuz it is) and are willing to boss me around a little. I don't mind, I can handle it. In fact, I think I am going to start a suggestion reward program at the bakery. If someone makes a suggestion, and it becomes successful for our bakery, I would like to reward them for their keen marketing advice by making them a dessert of their choice! How fun would that be -- for both of us!! FUN!

So much good energy...so many Sa-Weet people! So need to go to bed! ;o) See you tomorrow!

This Sweet Little Town was DYING for a Bakery!

Look -- I'm too tired to blog, but I just have to give a quick report and say a few things about this decision of mine. :o)

First, what an amazing day! I sold out of ALL of my product for today and got as much in the oven as I could of the doughs I made for tomorrow only to sell out AGAIN! That is simply amazing. And I didn't make a little -- I made A LOT!! I'm happy and embarrassed at the same time. I had to close the bakery at 1:20 because truly, I was OUT of bakery! OUT! The people that showed up with their sassy pants on to visit my bakery were out of this world! From my first customers at 6:30 sharp this am until I left at 7:00 and was still welcoming folks in to at least see the bakery -- even though I had nothing to offer them. This town has gone overboard to welcome me and my "art"!!

Second -- I WILL post pictures of my amazing day, but will have to wait a day or so...including my first customers (Joyce and Jeff). And I really want to tell you about Harry (again) and Charlie, and Donna, and on and on and on. So, I will, but not tonight cuz I'm pooped.

And lastly...my friend Billy came up this morning to "spend the day" with his Sally. He cleaned and made the most beautiful Caramel Apples (that sold out by the way -- EVEN after i was closed!!) and just helped me ALL day, ALL day long. How do you tell someone how much you appreciate them, their energy, their creativity and their love. I have no idea...so I just said thank you and that I loved him. What a gift he was to me today, and as many of my customers will tell you, I had no idea how much I would need him!

I am so blessed. I am so loved. I am so thankful. AND, I am SOOO happy to make my "home" in Genesee Depot...the little town that I used to come to as a little girl to get ice cream at the ice cream parlor (now the Genesee Depot Cafe) and now, I hope I AM that little place that all these people will someday say they went to when they were little!

What an amazing day! Sweet Dreams!