Friday, April 5, 2013

I love my customers. I really do.

Another thing for which I am thankful:  my wonderful customers.

They come out of their way to my bakery, some once a week, some twice a week, some when they can make it.  I am not exactly on the beaten path.  I don't have a sign out front.  They have to wend their way through the six or seven bikes in the carport.  My bakery is a big sunroom off our house that used to be Mrs. Turner's art studio.  Three walls of windows.  Two giant walk in closets, one for pots and pans, the other for ingredients, hundreds of pounds of chemical free grains, tubs of organic coconut oil, rolled oats, organic raisins, pounds of yeast, plenty of organic cinnamon and vanilla.

On a rare occasion I have everything out of the oven and bagged up by the time customers walk through the door.  But more often than not I am still taking cookies out of the oven, bagging up granola, or printing up labels.  A one woman operation is not always as fast as she wishes she were, even with the very long hours and skipped lunches and breakfasts, and cups of coffee instead of real food.

But these customers don't growl or grumble as they wait their turn in line.  They kindly visit as I pass out hot cookies, they introduce themselves, they catch up on smalltown news, compare rainfall and lightening strikes as I bag bread and take money and make change, answering questions about recipes and spelt and gluten.

Some of them read my ads.  Others come because of a friend's recommendation.  Who knows how these folks find out about the bakery?  But every Tuesday and Friday I end the day exhausted but grateful to these folks who enable me to live out my passion:  offering delicious, healthy alternatives to over processed foods.

Store bought food is much cheaper than my expensive spelt and coconut oil.  Store bought bread looks the same, week in, week out.  My bread varies, with moisture content, protein content and many more variables.

I am so thankful for these folks who go out of their way to support my tiny little business.  Just wanted to say so!  

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I'll bet your customers are just as thankful as you are because you have all the wonderful stuff you sell. I have just started baking bread and love the reward when someone swoons over a hot piece straight from the oven. I am thankful, too.

chris youngblood said...

I've done my own baking all my adult life, an early granola head who never gave it up. I'd love to be your customer. I'm thankful you are able to have this wonderful home business, I believe in doing worthwhile work.

Greener Pastures--A City Girl Goes Country said...

You are a success!

Truthseeker said...

And I would bet your customers are VERY grateful to have you there! There used to be a wonderful bakery in Salem and over at Towers Mall, Heartland Bread, that offered wonderful fresh bread of many types. I went there and bought often...then, one day it was just GONE! I felt a little betrayed. Never did find out what happened to it or why they quit. It seemed to be busy every time I went. I STILL haven't found another wonderful bakery up here....