Pittsfield Bakery Closing North Street Shop
 Ashley Summers is closing Madeleine's Patisserie & Cafe after negotiations for a new lease were unsuccessful. She will focus on Berkshire Bakes now. |
Owner Ashley Summers says customers can still purchase her croissants, muffins, cookies and cupcakes through her catering and wholesale arm, Berkshire Bakes. And she hopes to find a new location on North Street in the spring.
"While we are closing here, you can still get some of what we offer," Summers said on Wednesday.
Summers said she was unable to negotiate a new lease with the building owner. The store's lease expired last September and Summers said she hoped to sign a new one this coming year. However, the two sides were unable to come to an agreement.
"It is out of my hands at this point ... It's sad and frustrating to be in this position but it doesn't help anything to be sad and frustrated," she said. "I thought we would resign in September but, unfortunately, we weren't on the same page."
Summers started the company in 2013, moving back to the Berkshires where she grew up. The Lanesborough native attended the New England Culinary Institute and then traveled, ending up as the corporate chef for six New York City restaurants. She returned to the Berkshire to raise her daughter, Madeleine.
"I was having my daughter and it was just a better fit. I grew up here and loved it," she said. "But when I moved back there were no pastry jobs. So, I had to start my own thing."
That fall she opened the bakery named after her newborn. And she says in just the two summers business had doubled and was taking off. Six months ago, she needed more space. She began to get contracts to bake pastries for a number of other restaurants and businesses. She signed an agreement to use the kitchen at Shire City Sanctuary, which became the home of Berkshire Bakes.
Under the Berkshire Bakes business, Summers not only bakes the treats for Madeleine's but also for other restaurants, private functions, and parties. She also bakes items to sell at farmers markets and fairs.
Now she hopes to boost the Berkshire Bakes side of the business. She said she'll be adding a delivery service for some of the local companies that had stopped in and bought many pastries for their offices or meetings.
"It is almost a breath of fresh air for Berkshire Bakes to get the attention it deserves," Summers said.
While that portion of the business may be the emphasis now, Summers isn't giving up on having a storefront.
"I love North Street now. It would be weird not to be here," she said, adding at in the spring she will be looking at available spaces to see if any will fit her needs.
For the last two weeks of operation, Summers said she isn't going out on a somber note. Instead she is having a "celebration" of the store's two years. That celebration will include discounts, raffles, and bringing back some "fan favorites" from the last two years.
"It's sad, but I like to think of these next few weeks as a celebration of our time in this retail space and a celebration of everything to come," Summers said.
Once Madeleines closes, Summers will launch online ordering, delivery information, and events on BerkshireBakes.com.
Tags: bakery, North Street, pastry,
