The owners of Michael’s Bakeshop in downtown Willoughby recently expanded into a space right next door.
Located at 4145 Erie St., the additional space is intended to improve customer service and provide more kitchen space to make more cinnamon rolls, as well as the possibility of new products in the future. .
“The biggest thing is we’ve been very lucky,” said Michael Richmond, who owns the bake shop with partner Michael McCall. “We’re at a great turning point. We started with the farmers market a few years ago, the space we’ve had since last year became available, and now we have the space next door, so the timing is completely on our side. Thank you.”
At one point, the historic building’s two spaces were connected, Richmond said, allowing for the perfect amount of flow.
“With everything that’s happened, this is kind of the logical next step for our business,” he said. “We got the keys to the space last year, and I think it was Independence Day weekend that we found out this space was going to be available. We had just two months to get this up and running. It only took a while, but this is Phase 1. We still have some menu items to grow and will continue to expand over time.”
The additional space will allow the bake shop to be open Wednesday through Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until sold out.
“We used to be open Thursday through Sunday, but we’ve taken a baby step here,” Richmond said.
The bakeshop’s mission still centers around cinnamon rolls.
“When I do brainstorming sessions, I always start with cinnamon rolls,” Richmond said. “That’s what got us here, and that’s what will keep us here. The cinnamon rolls here are like home. We hope to slowly add more things. And this new room has all these cases to hold certain things in, but for now it’s going to be more cinnamon rolls.”
Richmond said the bakery’s customer base is made up of regulars who come in at least once a week, if not every day.
“That was one of the reasons we added Wednesdays,” he said, noting that it not only makes it easier to accommodate the schedule, but also potentially brings in more business and new customers. “We know a lot of our customers, what they like, what they get when their families are in town, and we know other business owners. , it’s a moderately sized community. You know everyone and everyone knows you.”
Richmond said the next chapter made sense because he started at farmers markets and met so many people through that.
“We’re making something special and fresh, and it’s not like there’s a cinnamon roll sitting on the back shelf that’s been there for a few days,” he said. “Everything we make is made that morning, and once it’s sold out, it’s sold out. Once we master this new bite-sized piece, we go from there. This is our next move to more, bigger things. I think it’s a step.”
First published: November 7, 2024 at 5:00 PM EST
