Clark Wolf's Rants, Raves, Diatribes...and a few other Thoughts

NBC San Diego Cheese segment

Launch in external player

 

Startup bakeries cook up online strategies

Friends were constantly telling Lorin Rokoff to turn her baking hobby into a career. In April 2008, she did, launching Hot Blondies Bakery with co-worker Laura Paterson. The catch: Hot Blondies' only store is online.

Discouraged by high rents and a slowdown in consumer spending, Hot Blondies is one of several fledgling bakeries to test the waters with e-commerce before settling on a brick-and-mortar shop. By taking advantage of social networking to generate buzz, and jumping on partnerships to grow their customer bases, small bakeries are bootstrapping their way to big sales.

Ms. Rokoff, 31, and Ms. Paterson, 34, launched Hot Blondies with about $20,000 from their respective savings accounts. The duo filled initial orders from Ms. Paterson's Manhattan apartment and eventually began renting commercial kitchen space in the city. In May, they signed a lease for their own kitchen in the Flatiron district.

“The Internet provides a way for these bakers to follow up easily, get more orders and offer new products,” says restaurant consultant Clark Wolf. “There's less muss and fuss.” Mr. Wolf points out that in pre-Internet days, bakers would go door to door, soliciting wholesale orders from businesses, before opening their own shops.

Full article here