Hi everyone –
I made the decision in the early summer to stop taking orders, mainly due to lack of time. It takes time to update the website each week with inventory, and sometimes it is hard for me to be able to commit to a certain number of items at the beginning of the week (only to run out of time later in the week when I’m actually making it all). It also takes time to sort through orders, email customers that have multiple orders submitted, return emails about orders that weren’t accepted by my system, or return inquiries about extras or special orders. It also takes a lot of time to package and bag each order on Saturday morning (in the wee hours) – and then load those bags onto trays that I then would take up to the Bake Shed to fill the shelves.
I’ve had a lot of changes in my personal life over this past year. I’ve had to re-prioritize what I do with my time and energy, and I just can’t do everything I want to on my own. In addition to my business, I have a full personal life, my daughter is a senior at BBA this year, and I serve on two non-profit boards (I am a board member and membership committee chair for the Bread Baker’s Guild of America, and I am a trustee & treasurer for Dorset Village Library). I have this property to take care of, health issues that sometimes flare up, and plenty of unexpected stressors that pop up on a weekly (and sometimes daily) basis.
So, that all said, I will continue doing what I have been doing – making what I can each week and as much as I can in the time I have, posting the menu on social media on Fridays and/or Saturdays, and the filling the cases at the Bake Shed on Saturdays where everyone can come choose what they want on a first come/first serve basis. I will also continue to have fresh bread every weekend at Sticky Fingers Bakery in West Dover.
I do plan to offer ordering in some form in the future, but I can’t say how it will look right now. I also do not have the time currently to cross post the menus here, which also means the emails will not go out (emails were pushed from my weekly posts here). My email system also now wanted to charge me $30/month to send out the weekly emails, and that’s just not a reasonable monthly charge for my little business.
Please remember, I work alone. The website, the menu, the prep, the production, the packaging, filling the Bake Shed on Saturday morning – I do it all. I cannot always respond to emails, comments on social media, or update my website on a weekly basis, but I certainly try to produce as much quality product as I possibly can.
I sincerely thank all of you for your continued support of my business, and for sticking with me through this bit of chaos. I will work on re-thinking my systems, and I have plans to expand my capacity in the near future – just have to find the time to get working on it. Being able to continue baking and creating the breads and treats I make has been the best therapy over this past year, and I couldn’t make it work without all of you. So, thank you again.
xo -J
