Bakery Closes

An end of an era..or perhaps what just feels like one.
After much thought, debate and a few tears, I have closed the
bakery. There are many reasons why I made this decision.
The dwindling economy played the biggest part.
I have been told that "things will pick up" and
asked "can't you hang on a little longer".
I suppose people are trying to be
supportive, which I greatly appreciate.
I must say, though, until you've been in the situation,
you really have no idea
what it's like. I didn't until opening the shop.
It's not easy giving up on your dream. It's not easy to admit failure,
although I have also been told
that it wasn't really a failure-only horrible circumstances.
I'm not sure I really believe that.
I find it difficult to separate business from personal stuff.
A close friend and I were talking this weekend about the
little cafe outside of Tampa that she bought shortly after
I opened the bakery. Basically, it was an inexpensive
investment that she thought would be a great idea.
Unfortunately, financial issues arose and she sold about
6 months later. The sale of her cafe was a giant relief for
her and there was no looking back. I wish it were that
simple for me. My friend walked into her new cafe with
everything there..right down to the food in the fridge.
I think the cafe was only closed for a couple of days
before she took it over. It was ready to go. I suppose
that's why she didn't have a hard time selling or walking away.
Other than the money and time, there really was no investment
and her heart wasn't attached. If you've been following this
blog -I'm sure you've seen the progression of what was and
what has become and now what has certainly ended. A dream
turned into a reality. That is now over. I am disheartened over
it all mainly because of all the time and effort
( blood, sweat and tears) that my family put into it, too.
I honestly feel like I am somehow letting them down.
Of course, when I say that and tell them I'm sorry that
I just couldn't make it work, they tell me it's alright
and they understand. I'm not quite sure I buy that either.
But, they would never say differently.
They love me too much and know what it all meant to me.
I have threatened to throw myself a big pity party,
but for now I'll put that on hold because I have a year
and half's worth of stuff that I must sort, sell and discard.

I am thankful for the friendships that were made during the
last year and a half. I've met some very nice people that
I otherwise would not have had the privilege of meeting.
I am rather shy at times and this experience has changed
me in that respect. One cannot be shy and introverted
when dealing with the public on a daily basis.
It has also taught me to take control of things and to delegate.
My husband is just loving that new found talent.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement, your business and most of all your friendship.
By the way, if you know of anyone in need of restaurant equipment.... :-)

*** Update this was originally posted by amy, but during the migration it re-did it in my name.

As I mature

Got this in an email the other day, thought it was funny and figured I'd post it up ;)

Carrabelle Bakery Offers HomeMade Pizza!!

For those of you who may have not heard yet, the Local Bakery here in Carrabelle, FL called "Cakes by Amy" is now offering Fresh Homemade Pizza every night Monday - Saturday from 5pm-9pm. We started offering the pizza about 2 weeks ago, and It is delicious! ;)

There are 2 sizes Med (12 inch) and Large (16 inch) We do offer local delivery. Prices may change, but currently it's as follows:

• Med (12") 3 toppings $12.99
  
• Med (12") Loaded $15.99
• Lg (16") 3 toppings $16.99
• Lg (19") Loaded $19.99
• Available Toppings are:
• Pepperoni, Sausage, Beef, Ham, Green Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Black Olives, Onions, Pineapple, and Jalapeños
  

The dough is made fresh every day, and is hand tossed and made only when ordered. No pre-made or frozen stuff here! It may mean a few extra minutes of wait time, but it's well worth it in my opinion for some good old fashion fresh pizza!

Also, as an update to the post "Bakery News" I'd like to mention we have stopped doing the daily lunch specials, and instead offer the following standard items for lunches:

• 100% All Beef Hot dogs
• Chili Dogs
• French Bread Pizza
  

For those that may have not read previous post, you can check out the progress from these links below:

The Bakery Saga Begins
The Bakery Saga Continues

P.S. I am still working on the official website for the Bakery, but it will be done soon! We just finished shooting a commercial for the local TV station (Ch. 3 on cable Forgotten Coast TV), and hopefully by the time the commercial gets on the air we should have the website up and running.

Charlie

We have once again taken the plunge and fell victim to the cute and cuddly puppy that is now called Charlie. You may recall from a previous blog entry that I had talked about Nitro being the newest member of the family... He has since vanished into thin air. We have no idea where he went or what happened to him, but since we just couldn't resist the chance to have a wonderful pup in our family for very long... We have now adopted this fine specimen of the canine family. He is a lab / rotty mix, and has a simply excellent kind nature. At almost 3 months old, so far he has been a great addition to the family... of course there is that quite annoying thing he does at 6am every single morning, even on the days you might want to sleep in.. but I think for the most part he is going to be a great dog. So does Amy, who by the way chose the name "Charlie b. Barkin" a name that fits him to a tee. I told her that he kinda reminds me of Chris Farly in the movie "Beverly Hills Ninja". Without further adieu, a few pics to oooh and aaahhh over.

Lunar Eclipse

For those that did not get a chance to stay up late freezing in the cold to see the lunar eclipse last night.... While I was bundled up in 2 jackets staying up with a tripod and a camera standing in the back of the truck, I snapped a few highlight shots just for your viewing pleasure ;)

Bakery News...

They are now serving daily lunch specials! Give them a call and find out what is on the menu for Today.

I'm still working on finalizing the website for her, but once it's up and running I'll post a link to it. The new website will contain the daily specials and much more info about the goings on around the bakery :)

If all goes well, the initial web site should be up within the next 2 weeks.

The Bakery is also now a member of the Local Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce.

Poker Table #3

If I'm allowed to say this, I think this was my best poker table yet! I had decided I wanted something that was unusual and different... Something perfect for home games, but unique enough to call my own. So, I came up with attempting an Octagon shape, but I was unable to find one that had the excellent soft cushions that I liked on the oval tables. The final outcome was difficult, but I think it worked out perfectly! I ended up with a table for 8 that was big enough to fit 8 people very comfortably, with nice soft cushions. The most tedious part was putting together the 8 individual cushions. Unfortunately before the table was even complete someone wanted to buy it.. But for the record here is a pic of the unfinished table with a full 8 people on it


and the Final Product..



Man, I really miss that table....