How Did I Get Here? Part 4

The pandemic was not kind to the business. The rules changed daily. The customers were freaked out. My employees were freaked out. And, as many of you know, sales plummeted everywhere.

As sales plummeted, as rules changed, as supplies got difficult to find, as people got more scared and less compassionate…it took a huge toll on morale at the bakery.

I was a mess thinking about a new shop in Boston. How would it survive after only being open a few months? The plan was for me to go up there every two months and help out. That wasn't happening now. Traveling was restricted. Plus, I was helping to take care of my elderly grandmother, so I couldn’t risk getting sick.

The Massachusetts shop didn’t make it and everyone lost tons of money. They were just too new and hadn’t built a loyal customer base yet. There were a few instant fans, but not enough to keep it afloat during unprecedented times. I think by April, they were down to three employees, and they officially called it quits in September of 2020.

Once morale took a hit, and sales plummeted, I had to make some terrible decisions.

So I let everyone go and changed the way the bakery operated. I got rid of custom decorated cakes (too time consuming for no employees), I increased the shipping options, I added stuff to wholesale so that people could get more things at a local grocery store. Thank goodness we had a great relationship with Rainbow Blossom (the local natural grocery store). We had been selling treats to them for years and it helped the business stay afloat during the pandemic, when people only went to grocery stores.

By the end of 2021, it seemed like things were looking up. I hired a couple of part time clerks and opened back up to limited hours. It was starting to pick up again and then, in July 2022, when inflation hit an all time high, more decisions had to be made. I had to raise prices to cover our ingredient costs, and I ended up losing about 30% of customers. They just never came back again with inflation. It was actually a little crazy to lose that much in sales after a 10% price increase. Worse, inflation kept at it, so the 10% price increase wasn’t even covering costs after a few months. It pushed the bakery further into the deep end and accelerated the closing. The pandemic gave us a 50% loss in revenue and then this last 30% drop was just not survivable.

The consumer packaged goods market exploded during the pandemic and there were double the amount of GF products on grocery store shelves by early 2022, which killed so many GF bakeries. What can you do when people spend their entire food budget at the grocery store? Bakeries suffer first because we’re always a luxury.

So, I checked the lease and knew it was up in April 2024. I was lucky enough to be in the midst of a ten-year lease when the pandemic hit, so rent wasn’t my biggest concern. But specialty ingredients were expensive in 2011, and now they were getting into insane territory. Maybe I didn’t want to pay these prices either? I made a plan.

You couldn't have a home-based bakery when I opened in 2011, unless it was a full commercial kitchen in your home. But they changed that in 2019, so I decided to move it all home when the lease was up at the shop.

I decided to shut down the retail shop in September 2022, and I had to keep it to myself for MONTHS before I let anyone know. I had to make plans before the shop closed (I didn’t announce the closure until December 2023 - so 15 months of waiting and planning). I had to make sure I could succeed at home or if I should just let it all go completely.

I had some employees with increasing health issues that actually wanted to have shorter hours or leave their position. I also had a full time baker and two college kids who were already leaving in August 2023. So, it just worked out that I only had to let one actual employee go by the time I put the plan in place - and they knew for about 5 months when their last day was happening.

I ran the shop from Sept 2023 until March 2024, by myself. If I could do this at a retail shop, surely, I could do it at home. I was tired of the 32 mile one-way commute and the long hours before the drive back to my house. So maybe just long hours at my house was a better option?

And luckily, this wasn't my first rodeo anymore, I could potentially get it right this time. At least, as close to right as any business owner can get with a risky food business.

So here I am, running a home based bakery after 13 years of retail. I’m already one year in. It’s less stressful, no employees to worry about, no real overhead to cause panic. I’m exhausted because my customers are back and buying again, so I’m working long hours, which is a great feeling. Is it enough to reopen a shop? Not even close. Is it enough for one person to live their life and pay for their mortgage? Yes.

The recipe blog was also part of the home plan. I’m getting older, I have autoimmune issues, and this job is physically challenging. I have, maybe, ten good years left before my body falls apart? So, it’s best to start this next new adventure as I bake from home. I have hundreds of recipes already that can be released over the next few years. I can film how-to videos that show each step to a perfect cinnamon roll or an allergen free key lime pie.

Now, I’ve combined my love of baking with my second love of teaching and I head out on (maybe?) my last big life change. I hope you enjoy all the stories and recipes to come. These labor intensive jobs can’t last forever, but the internet seems to be infinite, and I’m really happy to be here.

-Annie May