SUGAR COATED: New owners of Village Bake Shoppe have sweet start
NIAGARA FALLS —
They were sitting in class at Niagara University when he tossed her a note on a crumpled sheet of paper. When she opened it, it said, “Will you marry me?” He had drawn two little boxes for her to check “Yes” or “No.”
She drew a third box on the note, wrote a big “Maybe,” next to it, and marked it with a check before tossing the note back.
With a beginning so sweet, it probably wasn’t a shock to anyone when they combined their lives in marriage this September; or when they combined their respective degrees (his in marketing; hers in business) to purchase the Village Bake Shop in Lewiston in early November.
When Lindsay and Michael Fiore took over the popular bake shop on Center Street they painted and tidied the place a little bit and then reopened with little fanfare. If the regulars didn’t notice much change in the place, that’s pretty much the way they wanted it.
The pair purchased the restaurant after Lindsay’s dad, owner of Broda Machine Co., learned it was for sale during a golf game with the previous owner.
It wasn’t Michael’s first career choice. “I always wanted to own the New York Yankees,” the Niagara Falls native grinned. But, there was one part of his dreams that was coming true, he added, saying “I always wanted to help people.”
He appears to be in the right profession for that. There are a steady stream of regular clientele who making daily visits for coffee and sweets at the tables inside and outside the bakery. The bakery also caters to brides and hostesses, they bake wedding cakes of any type; and enough holiday cookies and desserts to give pause to any lover of baked goods.
While the pair doesn’t plan to make any changes for the next year or so, as they take time to learn the business, their plans call for a fortification of what already exists.
“I want to make this a destination attraction,” Mike said, adding that he imagines continued expansion into local and national markets.
It helps that the couple were customers before they became owners. “They bake Our wedding cake here,” said Lindsay, who was Lewiston born and raised. “We always came here for treats.”
So, the idea of purchasing of the bakery, was a sweet proposition, she said.
“The reputation was there, there product was there,” she added, “and the staff was unbelievable.”
A visit to the kitchen during the holiday season seemed to confirm her words as the bakers occasionally broke out in laughter, seeming to truly enjoy the process of making hundreds of cookies, and to bake cakes and pies.
“The staff is very committed, knowledgeable and educated,” Lindsay said of the 25 or so employees. “It just blows my mind, the speed that they work at and their attention to detail.”
Mike nodded at his wife’s words. “They bake as if they’re baking for their own families.” The pair acknowledges that they have been blessed. “The love and support we’ve received from family and friends has been outstanding,” Mike said.
They’ve already begun to give back to the community they serve, recently providing cakes and cookies for the Historical Society’s holiday Tour of Homes.
So, while the couple may not own the Yankees, just yet, it seems to be the start for them of some very sweet seasons.
Contact Features Editor Michele DeLuca at 282-2311, ext. 2263.
bake with Bill & Sheila
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