By David Fortier
Bakery on Maple co-owner Erika Stirk is going over cake and dessert options for a wedding reception with a couple late Sunday afternoon around closing time, but no one is in a hurry to leave. There are cupcakes and frosting in tubes–piping bags–of various colors and flavors on the table.
“This one is the marble cake,” says Gyselle Bermudez who is seated with her fiancé Nick Emac across from Stirk. “This is the one that we’re going to do our actual wedding cake of.”
Bermudez identifies the other choices–Orea, pistachio, lemon, almond and strawberry. These are matched with the different frostings, including mousse and butter cream.
“It’s just so light and airy,” she says about the cake. “I love it.”
Bakery on Maple announced last month on its Facebook page that the business was going through tough times and might have to close. The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive and the artisan bakery, which combines sales of cakes with unique small batches of pastries and breads, appears to be on the rebound.
David Landi, Stirk’s business and life partner, emerges from the kitchen in one of his iconic hoodies as Stirk continues to discuss plans with Bermudez and Emac. He, says that foot traffic, which had dropped precipitously since last May, now accounts for 50 percent of sales.
“We are doing a lot better,” Landi says. The other 50 percent of revenue comes from the sale of customized cakes, which, if depended upon solely, would not have been sustainable.
As a result of the improved revenue, Stirk and Landi are looking at hiring another parttime staffer and are pursing grants with the state. They are also experimenting with hours, for instance, Friday’s hours are now 12 noon to 7 p.m. They are also open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A final decision on hours won’t come, Landi says, until sometime this summer. For the moment, he and Stirk are working on refining just what an artisanal bakery is and does, especially in light of their recent experience.
Landi has heard a lot about their hours of operations, which to some commenters online, appear to be too few and too little.
“We are more of a pastry shop than a bakery,” Landi says, “so we want to differentiate between pastry shop pastry hours versus traditional bakery working hours.”
The product looks the same, he says, but it’s different since they put in more time coming up with different, unique items made with more specialized ingredients and in smaller batches.
This arrangement stems from both personal preference and the limitations of a small shop that lacks the equipment of larger commercial bakeries.
Bakery on Maple did receive a grant last year that allowed them to experiment a bit. They were able to purchase a vending machine to sell their products fresh. The vending machine is located at the entrance to the Bristol Bazaar, makerspace on Race St.
Landi says sales are picking up there, too, which is another good sign.
Things are definitely looking up, Landi says.
“I’m still, honestly, shocked by the response we got from people,” he says. He wakes up every morning, grateful for what has happened and encouraged to get up, show up and get to work.
If Bermudez and Emac’s experience is any indication, Bakery on Maple may have not only bought some time to right itself, but it may also have attracted new patrons.
“I looked at so many reviews,” Bermudez says to Stirk, “and you have by far the best reviews of everybody.”
She was especially appreciative of the time Stirk spent on the phone answering her questions.
“Your attitude on the phone was way better,” Bermudez says. “I think we were on the phone for 15 minutes.”
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