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Old 06-24-2016, 10:01 AM
 
47 posts, read 51,453 times
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I am looking for a place to start a bakery and raise my children in either Ohio or Pennsylvania. Sounds easy, right?

Well, it seems I do nothing easy.

I'm looking for a place that's fairly progressive (liberal) and diverse culturally as my family is of mixed race. My bakery will also be quite open minded as well as I plan to offer a pay it forward type program as well as other community centered programs that will feature local artists and musicians.

In addition to this, we are planning to live on a hobby farm where we will raise alpacas, a couple of llamas, and a few hens.

Any advice or ideas?
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Old 06-24-2016, 12:16 PM
 
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I suggest a small college town in farm country like Edinboro in northwest PA, Mansfield in north central PA, Lewisburg in east central PA, New Wilmington or Grove City in western PA and Elizabethtown in south central PA.

What types of baked products will you sell? You will be in competition with supermarket or WalMart bakeries, which do turn out a decent product even though most of their offerings come in frozen or partially baked.
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Old 06-25-2016, 07:14 AM
 
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I bake mainly sweets, such as cakes, cupcakes, muffins, and bars. I also will offer vegan baked goods and bagels. My plan is to try to use as much locally sourced ingredients as possible. I'll try to post some pictures of what I've done.
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Old 06-25-2016, 07:16 AM
 
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A wedding cake I've done.
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Old 06-25-2016, 07:17 AM
 
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Bagels to show a basic offering
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Old 06-25-2016, 09:55 AM
 
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I'm going to be frank and say that the business that you envision won't succeed in the small towns that I suggested. You would need a bakery that makes a big variety of products like artisan hearth baked breads and rolls, real danish pastries (not the sweet dough that passes for danish), other gooey pastries (like sticky buns), cakes, cookies, doughnuts. water bagels, birthday and wedding cakes, etc. A small sit down area that serves pastries, coffees and artisan sandwiches would go over big.

Have you had any training in commercial baking and bakery management?

Last edited by Wells5; 06-25-2016 at 10:35 AM..
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Old 06-25-2016, 09:57 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
3,296 posts, read 3,854,570 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Saxmansnyder View Post
I'm looking for a place that's fairly progressive (liberal) and diverse culturally as my family is of mixed race.
This should be your last requirement. First, you should research the food industry regulations in Ohio and PA. They are different. In PA, you will need insurance, permits/licenses, a separate commercial kitchen, etc. for even a small corner bistro/bakery. This will limit where you can put purchase real estate.

There are a lot of bakers in both states, especially with the Amish, so the competition will be fierce. It sounds like you haven't sold here before or owned a bakery. If you plan on doing this as a side hobby, then you can live almost anywhere. But if this is going to be an actual 3am to 2pm for you, then you will need to put the main focus on the business.
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Old 06-25-2016, 12:17 PM
 
Location: A coal patch in Pennsyltucky
10,250 posts, read 10,499,227 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wells5 View Post
I'm going to be frank and say that the business that you envision won't succeed in the small towns that I suggested. You would need a bakery that makes a big variety of products like artisan hearth baked breads and rolls, real danish pastries (not the sweet dough that passes for danish), other gooey pastries (like sticky buns), cakes, cookies, doughnuts. water bagels, birthday and wedding cakes, etc. A small sit down area that serves pastries, coffees and artisan sandwiches would go over big.

Have you had any training in commercial baking and bakery management?
I was going to respond with a similar comment but you responded to your own post before I could.

There used to be a lot of bakeries all over Western PA. The small town where I grew up had four family owned bakeries in the 1960s. This was before the days of grocery store bakeries, Panera, and Dunkin' Donuts. I think a bakery could be successful today but it would need several things going for it. It would not be able to survive in a small town like the ones mentioned above. I think there are places in Allegheny County where it could be successful if you have the right population and/or traffic in the nearby area. I'm thinking of places like the Strip District, Mt. Lebanon, Regent Square, Squirrel Hill, McKnight Road, Lawrenceville, Shadyside, Bloomfield, etc. Catering and a sit down coffee shop would also improve the chances of success. A busy road like McKnight and Route 19 in the South Hills would provide the opportunity for parking and easier access.

In Western PA, I can't think of too many locations that I think would be good fits. Possibilities include North Huntingdon along Route 30 or State College.
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Old 06-25-2016, 04:40 PM
 
Location: The Flagship City and Vacation in the Paris of Appalachia
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Erie could work especially if you are located near one of the college campuses and you could live in a surrounding area if you wanted a farm and some land. Erie has the typical chains and a few local bakeries, but there are not many local places that make their own bagels, artisan breads, pastries, sandwiches, etc. I agree with Wells5 and I think you would need a sit down cafe in a place like Erie to be successful and I think simply focusing on the sweets would be tough because the chains and supermarkets would provide significant competition. I have found one good local bagel place in Erie, i.e. Jo's Brooklyn Bagel, but I am still looking for a good local bakery where I can get artisan breads, fresh made pastries, and good coffee/sandwiches. In terms of being liberal, Erie definitely has liberal pockets and the middle of Peach Street in the city near the King's Rook Club has kind of a "hippie" vibe and has recently been experiencing some growth and development. I think this might be a good spot, but even better would be closer to one of the colleges and college students, faculty and staff could be a good target market above and beyond the artist, music, and generally liberal crowd.
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Old 06-25-2016, 10:10 PM
 
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Carlisle, Gettysburg, or Hanover would be good choices for the South Central region.
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