NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Erika Bailey decided this year it was time to take a leap and leave her corporate career for cupcakes.
The result is Bailey's Bakery, which opened in the former Empire Cafe on Main Street last week.
"I have been baking since I was a little girl with my grandmother," she said. "It's always been something that I've loved to do but I went to school and thought I was supposed to do the corporate thing. I did that for a while and it's definitely not what I wanted to do."
Bailey, of Stamford, Vt., was approved by the Planning Board in July but it took awhile to prepare the space inside Keith Bona's Berkshire Emporium into a bakery. The bakery now has ovens and display cases and coffee from Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters. There's still some tables to get in place for when people stop for muffin and a coffee.
She plans on having a changing variety of baked goods — cupcakes, muffins, whoopie pies, pastries, brownies, cookies and other goodies. Gluten-free goods may also be available and she takes orders including for cakes.
Bailey said her specialties are probably her cupcakes and cakes. In fact, she had a couple wedding cakes on order. But she also has a sugar cookie that her customers have compared to those once made at Molly's Bakery.
"My sugar cookies are very similar to the Molly's cookie," she said. "People have said that they have liked those as well."
The sublet space has been the site of several ventures, including an earlier bakery, Luma's Muffin & Mug. Bailey said she had originally been interested in the old Molly's on Eagle Street but the cost of putting a kitchen back in, and the size of the space, was prohibitive.
"Brendan [Bullett] had given my name to Keith because this was opening so it just kind of worked out," Bailey said.
The first week had been a little slow, she said, probably because of the cool, wet weather and that her opening had been quiet.
"There were two guys who came in this morning that said they were going to put a little message out I was here and to figure out when they could all come down," Bailey said.
Bailey's Bakery is open Mondays and Tuesdays 7 to 3; closed Wednesdays; Thursdays and Fridays 7 to 5; and Saturdays 9 to noon. Hours may be subject to change.
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North Adams Unveils Hometown Heroes Banners
By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
Carol Ethier-Kipp holds up the first aid kit her father used as an Army medic in World War II. See more photos here.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City of North Adams honored its own on Friday afternoon, unveiling 50 downtown street banners representing local veterans who served — and continue to serve — the community and the country.
More than 300 residents packed the front lawn of City Hall as the community took a moment to reflect on its "Hometown Heroes" during the morning unveiling ceremony.
"In a city like North Adams, service is personal. The men and women we honor today are not strangers to us. They are our neighbors, our classmates, our parents, our grandparents," Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the crowd. "... These banners are far more than names and pictures hanging along our streets. They are visible reminders of the values that define North Adams: courage, sacrifice, humility, duty, resilience, and the love of country. They remind every person who passes by that this community remembers our veterans."
The banner program launched exactly a year ago. Veterans Services Agent Kurtis Durocher opened applications in October and spent the next six months working with families to bring the project to Main Street and over the Hadley Overpass.
"We gather to recognize the brave men and women from our community who have served or who are currently serving in the United States armed forces," Durocher said. "These banners are more than images. They bear a tribute to service, sacrifice, courage, and pride, and they remind us that the freedoms we enjoy every day have been protected by our neighbors, family members, friends, and Hometown Heroes."
Each banner features a portrait of a veteran alongside their military branch and dates of service.
Durocher noted that the program was something residents clearly wanted, pointing to how fast applications flooded his desk. He praised the volunteers who stepped up to get the banners made and displayed — including city firefighters and Mitchell Meranti of Wire & Alarm Department,who were installing them as late as Thursday night.
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More than 300 residents packed the front lawn of City Hall as the community took a moment to reflect on its "Hometown Heroes" during the morning unveiling ceremony.
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