How It All Got Started...
The last thing I ever thought I'd be is a bakery owner. When I
went back to school at the University of California, Santa Cruz,
I was newly divorced, with two boys and lots of energy!
Several times a week I took extra cookies
from my homemade batch up to school and left them in a basket
with this note: "25 cents; please don't rip them off or I won't
be able to afford to buy more ingredients."
I did it for a year and nobody ever took
the cookies or the money! Soon I included a local cafe among my
deliveries. I had no intention of starting a bakery. I had no
money, backers or business plan. I worked hard, listened to customers
and asked lots of smart people for advice. People liked my products.
Word got around and in October of 1982 I moved into the building
where Emily's is today.
Even now, twenty years, later I'm often
reminded of how much I have to learn. I like the challenge of
providing jobs and helping myself and others earn a living in
an honorable way. I so appreciate my good fortune in being part
of a community that appreciates neighborhood businesses. My customers
are the best. The food part is secondary to me. I'm not a great
cook or baker, but I am surrounded by many who are!!
I enjoy solving prolems, listening to people
and figuring out how to provide employees, customers with what
we want and need. Some days I love my job. Some days the problems
seem overwhelming. I've noticed the only thing that changes is
my attitude.
