TURNERS FALLS — After 11 years of making quality pastries, building a loyal customer base, and following a dream, Laura and Josh Puchalski are ready to follow another dream — this time, further north.
Maine is calling to the couple, and they are in the process of making plans to move their bakery business to the mid-coast — where they’ve always wanted to go.
However, they don’t want Turners Falls to lose its longtime cinnamon roll stop, cafe, caterer, or friendly faces. Their hope is to sell the business, including equipment and recipes, to someone willing to carry on the bakery with their own personal twist.
The bakery opened on 2nd Street in 2007, giving it its namesake. The couple purchased their current building on 4th Street in 2012, but kept the original name.
“It’s fun and quirky,” Laura said of the name. “It’s funny because our customers would drive around town looking for us when they found that we were gone (from 2nd Street).”
Laura Puchalski dreamed of owning a bakery since she was young, so 2nd Street Bakery is quite literally a dream come true.
“At 14 years old, I knew I wanted to have my own business,” she said.
When she was younger, her husband also dreamed of opening a coffee shop.
Before starting the bakery, her former business partner informed her that a few bakeries in Greenfield were up for sale. The same week, her sister called and said one of her clients had a space in Northfield.
“It seemed like all the signs were pushing me to do it then,” she said.
During this time, Laura Puchalski was out on disability after breaking her leg at a previous job, so she had plenty of time to write a business plan. She spent her time recuperating and drafting that plan. Then, the first day she spent out of the house, she started looking for a place to start the bakery. Turners Falls seemed like the answer.
“It’s nice we found a spot in my hometown,” she said.
Eventually, Laura and her business partner parted ways and her husband came in as her new partner.
“From the beginning, I was drawn in,” Josh Puchalski said.
The Puchalskis are proud to say this is their best year at the bakery yet.
“We’ve got that leeway that it’s our best year, so it’s the perfect time for us,” Laura said. “We have the control to say ‘no, we aren’t going to (sell) just yet.’”
There are plenty of people who are interested in the business, but the Puchalskis aren’t sure of the extent these people would like to carry on the business. It isn’t just the building included in the purchase, it’s the whole deal.
“All the equipment, smallwares, vendor lists, recipes, wholesale accounts, pre-booked cakes … and we’ve done a lot with social media and advertising,” Laura Puchalski said. “We’ve built up a reputation and have a strong reach on social media.”
There’s no need for brides to worry, either. Laura Puchalski says that every pre-booked cake will be done.
So far, they’re just in the process of putting 2nd Street on the market and entertaining offers. The couple is directing “serious inquiries” to Mark Abramson at Cohn & Company.
“We’re trying to wait for the right person,” she said. “As long as we feel like holding out, we can.”
“It’s kind of a self-vetting process,” Josh Puchalski added.
While selling the bakery will be bittersweet, the couple admits they are anxious to begin their next phase.
“There are a lot of pieces to it,” Laura Puchalski said, explaining that in addition to selling the bakery, they’ll have to sell their home and her mother’s home. “It definitely can’t happen overnight.”
“We’ve had people welling up in tears and it’s so sad,” Laura Puchalski said. “It’s bittersweet. We’ve built so many relationships with the community. Even our suppliers and drivers … we love everyone.”
While the couple admits the decision to move wasn’t easy, they view it as “looking at the next phase of life.” However, this phase could begin very soon, or not so soon at all.
“It could happen next week or (in) three or four years,” Josh Puchalski said.
Laura says that many people have a misconception that they’re on a schedule and are closing at a set time.
“Or that it’s already sold,” added Josh.
“We’re not just closing the door and leaving,” Laura said. “We’re looking for someone to take it over, whether it’s exactly the same or someone doing a version of it.”
They’d like someone with a similar mindset for baking, but are happy to let someone put their own touches on the bakery, too.
“We’ve gone as far as we can with it,” Laura Puchalski said. “I think it could be a really beneficial thing to have a new (owner) breathe life into it.”
Laura’s mother has also worked at 2nd Street as a baker, and she’s not ready to retire when the couple moves to Maine.
“She needs to stay busy,” Laura remarked.
Moving to Maine wasn’t always just the Puchalskis’ idea. Originally, the couple was going to join Laura’s parents in Maine after their retirement. However, her dad passed away before that could happen.
“Mom is still on board,” Laura added.
By moving to Maine, Laura, Josh and Laura’s mother aren’t looking to slow down entirely, but they would like to simplify their lives.
“It’s been 11 years of very early long hours, many bank loans, upkeep, maintenance … ,” Laura Puchalski said. “It’s amazing how much you have to give up for a business like this. We’ll be doing what we love still, but getting back some sanity.”
They plan to condense their Maine bakery into a “more manageable, curated selection,” and look forward to the chance to experiment with new products. While the current location provides catering, delivery, wedding cakes and wholesale, Laura Puchalski would like to focus more on in-house needs.
“It’s just sort of a reinvention of ourselves in a way, giving us a chance to try new things,” Laura Puchalski said. “It’s going to be smaller and more intimate.”
She says that 2nd Street Bakery has gotten big enough now that she can’t usually come out to interact with customers, which she misses.
“I miss being that person to make them food and ring them up,” she said.
“I have customers who are as disappointed cinnamon rolls aren’t out as they are disappointed Laura isn’t here,” Josh Puchalski said with a laugh.
Another hope for the Maine location is to employ more farm-to-table aspects, using Josh’s home-grown hydroponic veggies.
Also, the couple would like to own backyard hens so they can use their own eggs for baking.
In addition to building a positive repertoire with loyal local customers, 2nd Street has made an impact on customers farther away.
Recently they made a cake for a bride whose wedding was featured in Martha Stewart Weddings — a white cake with buttercream frosting, raspberry filling and a blush-colored “drip” design, topped with pink flowers and a “LOVE” sparkler.
“There’s a good history, a good reputation we’ve built,” Laura Puchalski said. “If someone can continue what we’re doing, they’re coming into a solid, strong customer base.”
Josh Puchalski says at least two Chicagoans bought 2nd Street Bakery T-shirts at different times, and he hopes they both run into each other with the shirts on.
A few years ago, a couple was in Turners Falls writing about the history of some local buildings and stopped by to enjoy a cinnamon roll from the bakery each week. When their book was finished, they put a mention about the delicious rolls in the back of their book.
“We did fulfill a life dream,” Laura Puchalski said. “And now we have a chance to do it again.”
Reach Christie Wisniewski
at: cwisniewski@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.