One of my favorite locally owned businesses is a delicious bakery that was started in the 1970s when my parents were kids.
Even though it has seen five decades of changes in this city, it has been passed down by one family member to the next.
Now the grandson of the original founder is the one who runs the bakery and cooks a lot of the food each. Every other Wednesday they serve fresh pretzels and get a line that runs down the street to the end of the block. Although I’m not obsessed with pretzels like other patrons, I am a sucker for their homemade donuts that are available early every morning until they run out. Since they’re nearly as famous as their pretzels, you really have to make an effort to arrive at the bakery before 9am. If I can, I get a dozen in a box and I bring them home to share with my wife. When I arrived this morning for my box of donuts, I noticed that the air inside felt cold and crisp for a change. Usually it’s warm and humid in the bakery from the heat in the kitchen. This time I felt a rush of cold air that enveloped my entire body. I asked the worker behind the counter and he explained that the bakery had a new air conditioner installed the day prior. Everyone seemed to be happy with the improvements, especially the employees. He told me that it was getting really hot in the kitchen with the old air conditioner. Hopefully the new a/c system will improve everyone’s attitudes and productivity in the bakery.