Business has been so good in Orange that Over the Top Bakery has opened a second location, this one where Patriots Roast Beef & Pizza once sat in Templeton.
Orange residents Fran and Mike Bates held a soft opening at 146 Patriots Road on Oct. 27 and said the new shop will be open seven days a week.
“It went fantastic. It was so well-received,” Fran said.
The two opened a spot at 90 New Athol Road in Orange in December 2023. The name is a reference to the fact that the bakery sat “over the top” of the Bates’ indoor flea market, called Bates Down Under. However, the two sold that business — which had merged with Bates Crafters Gallery at 80 New Athol Road — in January.
“When I decided I wanted to do more, I would have had to cut staff, and I love them and they run that [location],” Fran said of her crew in Orange. Adding a second location, she continued, “was kind of a joke that came to fruition. I just started saving money for it, because it’s quite costly.”
Mike, who works full-time as a veterinary technician at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said people appreciate the need that Over the Top Bakery fills in the area.
“It’s been going great. I mean, Fran is tired. Fran is being overworked right now,” he said with a chuckle. “Fran has been doing nothing but baking and sleeping.”
Mike mentioned that payroll has expanded from six to 15, with a few more to be added. All the employees bring a great deal of experience, he said, which is “super helpful.”
Fran said all the baking is now done at the 1,040-square-foot Templeton location. She said one of the biggest challenges was moving the oven from Orange.
“You can kind of scoot it onto something with wheels,” she said. “It’s not an easy move, but we made it happen.”
The Templeton spot will carry Over the Top’s baked goods as well as its coffee, prepared to-go meals and bubble teas. The location also has a hood vent, unlike Orange, and Fran plans to offer doughnuts at some point.
Fran mentioned she is largely a self-taught baker but she took classes at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Sweet Lucy’s Bakeshop in Bernardston and Mount Wachusett Community College.
Both Over the Top Bakery locations are open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., though they might open their doors earlier if there is demand.
