Amazing Grace Bakery and Cafe
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History
Date Opened: 7:00AM June 12th, 1995
Date Closed:
Owners: Chip Stewart
History: Chip and Doug once shared office space and during their rare breaks from hour after hour of hard work, they would daydream about opening a cafe. This daydreaming went on for about three years at which time Doug came back to the office and told Chip that he had found a spot to launch their dream. They took a tour and visions of happy customers and pockets of cash clouded their somewhat challenged sense of reason and they set out in pursuit of their dream. There were a few minor obstacles; this wasn't a restaurant, it was a bakery, they didn't know how to bake, they didn't have much money, they didn't have much of a plan, and they decided to open five weeks from the time of their tour. Undaunted, (I did mention that they had a somewhat challenged sense of reason) they set forth..
For the first three weeks, Chip tracked down suppliers and made (what turned out to be fairly accurate) guesses which he plugged into spreadsheets and showed Doug. Doug's main job for these first three weeks was to worry. He took his job seriously and each day he would ask, "Are we really doing this?" And each day they would proceed as though they were doing it without actually spending any of the very small stash of money that they had. They found some great deals on used equipment and the day came when they spent all of their money and opened the door. John Erickson, their first customer arrived at 7:00 am on June 12th, 1995 and bought a bag of muffins and cinnamon rolls, and the dream was alive.
Chip had gone and visited Jerry and Mary Philips, owners and creators of The Old Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield WI, and had been given a half-day baking lesson by their cook Larry. This class, short though it was, proved invaluable.
This stalwart team would not have survived for long if not for the wonderful help that arrived. The Amazing Grace soon became a team effort and fortunately, a fine team of people signed on as employees and the Amazing Grace grew and grew.
Music became an important part of the bakery. John Ward and Lori Hatten, the musical Saints of the Amazing Grace loaned the bakery piles of equipment, hours of effort, and their considerable talent to help create the nationally known venue the bakery has become.
Address
394 Lake Ave. So, Duluth, MN 55802
(218) 723-0075
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