Last week, a bright, energetic, joyful woman came into the bakery for the first time. She and her friend stayed and chatted and exchanged recipe ideas for several minutes with me. They were both lovely, lovely women.
But something she said really seems to be shouting louder in my head than all of the other wonderful and kind and positive things she said. Within the first few minutes of our chat, she said that someone at work told her there was a new bakery in Genesee. Then she said, in a rather "blowing it off" kind of fashion (like the woman who told her about the bakery didn't know what she was talking about) that "I do TOO have a lot of stuff to offer" (in defense of my little bakery). I told her that I hoped I had enough to offer our customers and that each day I find new things that I can still find time to add to each days offerings.
Here's why it gets me...I wasn't kidding about this being a scratch bakery. We (and by "we", I always mean "me") buy nothing but raw ingredients and then try to figure out what the traffic, mood, seasons, weather, events, day of the week, or any other reason one could possibly use to GUESS what kind of customers we (I) will have that day and what they will be in the mood for so that I can try to get that item baked (along with ALL the other items). And in doing so, I try to figure out how much of those items to have so that I don't have a baker's worst nightmare -- leftovers.
I'm not sure what the women who said I don't have much to offer was looking for (and truth be told, if she had asked me, I probably would have found a way to start making it), but two things exist right now...make that three. One, I AM a small bakery, but am willing to do just about anything for my customers which is something only small bakeries can do. Two, for now, I do a pretty good job of guessing which way the wind is blowing each day to try to make the right amounts and not have leftovers. And three...our current customer base is around 30-50 customers per day...someday, God willing, we may grow our business to more like 300 (like big bakeries do) and when that day comes, I will have more to offer as our client base will support that kind of volume. For now, I hope the message that gets out there is that we are a good, everything from scratch, hometown bakery that is willing to help our customers make any special occasion -- even breakfast with your grand kids -- more special.
And I'll keep trying to make more and hopefully, it will be enough.
Goodness gracious - you are a baker AND a magician? How else can you do everything you do and NOT have leftovers? I think that part of the fun of stopping at a bakery would be to see what is new and exciting for the day.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget, YOU ROCK!!!!!
Don't let the Negative Nellies get to you. Some people just aren't happy unless they're complaining.
ReplyDeletePeople who have never owned a bakery probably just don't "get it" yet. They expect you to have the volume of a larger bakery with a small town feel. Not gonna happen. You are only one woman and I think you're doing a fantastic job! You have always had a very nice variety to choose from when I've been in to visit and you're steadily learning the daily patterns and trends of your customers so you can plan accordingly. Plus, I think some people expect you to have the same amount of options at 2:00 in the afternoon that you do at 10:00 in the morning. Again, they just don't quite "get it". You're doing great!!!
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