Established in June of 2020, Main Street Bakery has been a hit since day one with tasty treats ranging from fan-favorite fried cinnamon rolls to kid-favorite gummy bear doughnuts. Owners Casey and Dusty Williams recall being overwhelmed with far more community support than they anticipated the day Main Street Bakery opened its doors to customers.
“We did a soft opening on a Friday,” Casey Williams said. “Dusty was sitting at the table watching people come in and go out and said, ‘We're sold out!' and that was before eight o'clock. He got up with a group at the table and they all went back to the kitchen. There were people in the kitchen that I didn't even know making donuts that day. We had a line out the door, down the sidewalk, and it was that way for two weeks.”
While the building was still being converted before the bakery opened, Main Street Bakery had already left a positive impression with free samples for the community. The Williams would try out new recipes and give them away to gauge people’s enjoyment of the baked goods and perfect their recipes. They also provided bags of doughnut holes for a senior car parade.
“The seniors kind of got gypped that year at West Central, so the community did a parade of cars through town,” Casey Williams said. “We gave doughnut holes to the seniors. We had extras, and so we gave some to the spectators.”
The Williams own commercial property and decided to open Main Street Bakery because their daughter wanted a bakery. The location was originally opened in the 1860s and became a pastry shop in the mid-50s, so purchasing the property came along with some original equipment from the 50s. Before opening Main Street Bakery, renovating the property was a must, and updates have continued into the recent future.
“In the last month, we've covered all the sidewalks so it looks kind of like an old general store now,” Dusty Williams said. “It's pretty rustic. We like the rustic stuff, like exposed brick. I took a bowling alley lane, 20-24 feet of it, to make a community table. Around 28 people can sit at it.”
“We have people come in and say this should be on a Hallmark film,” Casey Williams said. “Everybody knows everybody here. We have the farmers come in first thing in the morning and then we have the church ladies come in a little later. We have that community group that comes together here.”
Creating that Hallmark, small-town feel takes a big effort. Every day, Main Street Bakery goes through 10 pounds of sprinkles and creates a whopping 8,000-10,000 doughnuts. These doughnuts are made by hand, and the doughnut-making process starts around 6 p.m.-7 p.m. the evening before.
All this effort has resulted in wonderfully curated treats that have cemented Main Street Bakery as a community staple for people of all ages.
“Kids get up to the doughnut case, and they start jumping up and down,” said Dusty Williams.
Check out Main Street Bakery’s Facebook page to keep up with its latest culinary creations and visit the Pulaski County Community Development Commission’s website to learn about other small businesses in the area.
