Hello friends. Today’s post contains bigger news than usual. The Sweet Pea bakers are officially announcing a poorly kept secret, our departure from the bakery’s long-time downtown home for expanded digs on West Main Street in Bozeman. While leaving the place you grew up is always bittersweet, there gets to be a time in the course of a life or a business when you must put on your walking shoes and find a place for your own dreams to grow. And that’s just what we’re doing.
Sweet Pea Bakery is moving to 2622 West Main Street. The new shop will be across from the theater end of Gallatin Valley Mall, next door to Wild Birds Unlimited in the old ice cream shop. We will begin moving next week and plan to fully re-open in early January, god and inspectors willing.
So what does all this mean to you? We thought you’d never ask! Our new location will bring to life some of our customers’ (and our own) top requests of Sweet Pea Bakery. Here’s a quick list:
A real local bakery: This is something that, despite our best efforts, Bozeman has been missing for awhile now. Sure, we have more great coffee shops per capita than anywhere this side of Seattle, but too often the baked goods are just an afterthought; shipped in on a truck or baked from a mix. The real money is in the flavored water, so we’re told. We’ll still have good drip coffee, and free wi-fi, but we know why you’re really coming in, and that will remain our focus.
And where do you go when you need a dozen or more of those goodies on short notice? The wholesale club has those, but read the label and ask yourself, “why do blueberry muffins need ingredients I can’t pronounce? Where do those ingredients come from, and what are they doing to support my neighbors who farm?” The new Sweet Pea Bakery has a straight answer to all those questions. Read on.
Expanded selection: Our customers have two common requests that our small space has made difficult to fill, until now. This first is that we stock bigger desserts daily for when they need a birthday cake, or something for an office party or bar-b-que on short notice. We are happy to announce that the new Sweet Pea Bakery will be baking up more of your favorite cakes and desserts, in more sizes and greater variety. Treats like eclairs and mousse will be available in bulk. Whether you need a special treat for yourself, or the whole group, we will have something ready for you to grab and go, all day long, Monday through Saturday.
The second big request is to return the morning goodies to the bakery window. We heard you, and mornings are back! After all, what good is a bakery that doesn’t open until lunch? Now starting at 7am daily (Mon – Sat), follow your nose to the source of fresh-baked-from-scratch treats like muffins, scones, granola, and brioche cinnamon rolls and bread puddings. You can have a seat and wash it all down with a reasonably priced cup of locally brewed coffee, or you can grab a couple dozen and still be on time to work. Or campus.
Access and parking: If you’ve ever been to our shop, we don’t need to explain this one to you. If you’ve never been to our shop, this may be the reason why. For all it’s charm, the downtown neighborhood is crippled by access and parking issues. We understand that you don’t like the thought of carrying a large cake two blocks to the only available parking space. We understand that for those or other reasons, a good chunk of the local population doesn’t come downtown at all.
Consider those issues a thing of the past! Our new shop is easily access from West Main or West College streets near where they intersect at the mall stoplight. Pull right up to our door, find what you need and be on your way. Simple as that. No stress about parking or dropping the cake!
Service with a smile: The new shop will be staffed by our own sales crew, who know that it’s about more than the recipes, it’s the LOVE! We are all ready to answer all your questions about desserts, allergens, how to order, when to order, and much more. And if you stump us, the bakers will be right there to set us straight.
A straight-forward commitment to Montana agriculture: Local food has been getting a lot of attention lately, and for good reasons. But amidst all the hype it can be hard to look at your meal at a restaurant (or bakery) and know for sure which ingredients are locally sourced, and whether that means all the time, or just when the price is right. Sweet Pea Bakery wants to simplify the discussion, and make a commitment to Montana-grown and sold products that’s easy for us to communicate, and for you to understand.
When the new shop opens, each time a recipe calls for all-purpose flour, whole eggs, cooking (safflower) oil, oats or honey, those ingredients will come from a Montana farm. No exceptions. When carrots and cherries are in season, those will be Montana-grown too. Our coffee will be locally roasted and distributed, and our spices will be purchased from a local vendor and ground fresh when we need them.
Sweet Pea desserts have been using some of these products, most of the time, for years now. So why the big jump? Why now? Well of course, there’s some marketing value in announcing that one is “going local.” But it’s something more that just a gimmick. As you might imagine, we talk a lot about food in our household.
And money.
These things that have been going on with “the economy” lately really have us talking, and we have come to the conclusion that the local food movement is about to switch from novelty to necessity; nowhere more so than an isolated, ag-driven community like our own. Even as a small producer we want use our position to show that making these changes can be easy and cost-effective. We really want to show you that not only would we never comprimise quality for marketing, we are raising the bar by using fresher, more wholesome ingredients grown in places you’ve been by people you may even know. And you won’t be paying more for the experience.
More to come? That’s all we can think of for now, but a lot is changing, so there may be more to come. Send us your thoughts and ideas and we promise to consider them. Thank you for all the support over the years, and please help us spread the word. Look for us at 2622 West Main in early January. We can’t wait to see you there!
