Reactions poured in fast and heartfelt to Catherine Misener’s Facebook post about Deda’s Bakery.
Misener and her husband, Chris Misener, started a wholesale baking business in early 2012. They sold Whoopie Pies, mousse pudding parfait and biscotti to downtown’s Vancouver Food Co-op. Shortly before the co-op closed in 2014, the bakery added the Fisher’s Landing New Seasons Market as a client. By summer 2014, New Seasons’ bakery buyer told the couple their products would be added to all Portland-area stores.
Baking for New Seasons became a full-time job, providing cakes, Whoopie Pies, parfaits, king cakes and other items. In early 2015, the bakery buyer told the Miseners they should plan on expanding their production to serve the grocery chain.
And then a series of unfortunate events — one in particular — hit the bakery and Catherine Misener felt compelled to write that fateful 1,440-word Facebook post on Feb. 17:
“We plan to keep our retail bakery open until we can find someone else to take complete ownership,” she wrote, explaining in detail what obstacles stood in the way of the Salmon Creek-area bakery continuing. “We would love for someone to step up and take over complete ownership. We are listing our bakery for sale, to include training if desired.”
Nearly 70 people posted reactions.
“This is such sad news!” wrote Lisa Callen Farrell. “I completely understand your situation but I’m still really sad about losing Deda’s! You guys have made many breakfasts and lunches much happier for my family and I.”
From Kathleen Brown: “I understand all of the reasons that went into this decision. It’s so sad to see this wonderful place coming to an end. This is a big loss for our community and we wish all the best to you and your family.”
And from Torre Scaramella: “Your scones are THE BEST I have ever had! I would order multiple weekly!”
Looking back, Chris Misener blames poor timing for the dilemma the couple is facing. Their experience may be an instructive tale about how a hardworking duo with good intentions — their 65-hour workweek starts at 4:30 a.m. — sometimes encounter multiple, unexpected setbacks and insufficient cash.
Timing is everything
The first poorly timed event happened in late 2015, the year the couple moved into the Deda’s space at 11819 N.E. Highway 99. (It’s pronounced dee-dahs.) The spot, the former home of another bakery, is tucked into Klineline Center, about a mile south of where interstates 5 and 205 merge. The center’s other tenants are a chiropractor, a window-and-door retailer and an auto repair shop.
A New Seasons official asked the Miseners in early 2015 to broaden their product mix. At a meeting in August, the New Seasons bakery buyer team sampled some of the new products and gave a stamp of approval.
However, at a November 2015 meeting, the person responsible for New Seasons’ bakery purchases told Chris Misener that the chain was changing direction in an effort to lower prices. As a result, it was dropping some of its smaller vendors, including Deda’s. By the end of 2015, the bakery delivered its last round of baked goods to New Seasons.
A New Seasons spokesperson said no company official who may have been familiar with a 3-year-old business decision was available to comment this week.
However, the chain is committed to selling locally produced products at its stores, communications manager Julie Teune said.
New Seasons “was founded on a mission to connect our customers with their local food source, and we’ve never shifted from our commitment to local products and vendors,” Teune said in an email, listing seven Portland-area bakery suppliers to New Seasons.
Nevertheless, Deda’s lost its major wholesale client. But the couple were confident they could make things work as a retailer, noting that former New Seasons customers had even sought out the bakery at its location north of Vancouver.
“A year-and-a-half ago, things were looking really, really good,” Catherine Misener said, thanks in large part to word-of-mouth endorsements, social media posts and a mention in The Columbian.
But a variety of factors started to take a toll. Staff turnover was high. This year’s mandatory minimum wage increase presented a challenge, she said, and potential employees sometimes asked for up to $18 an hour. And state-mandated sick pay, which began last year, cut into the bakery’s already-thin margins.
She regrets that the couple did not at some point invest $10,000 in a quality espresso machine. They serve coffee ground from quality beans but often heard customers say they wanted a latte along with their scone.
They’ve tinkered with their store hours, with little to show for that effort. Adding sandwiches to the menu has helped, but not enough.
They’re asking between $55,000 and $110,000 to buy the bakery. The disparity in price reflects the type of sale. Perhaps the buyer will want to purchase the recipes the couple have used to build their clientele. Or the buyer will want the Miseners to stick around awhile to ensure a smooth transition. Or maybe the buyer won’t envision a bakery at all but sees an opportunity to lease the space to food entrepreneurs as a commercial kitchen.
The Miseners are ready to field interested inquiries.
But the Miseners, who each are 49 years old, are resolved to moving on. They plan to move to San Antonio this summer to be closer to family. Chris will pursue a master baker certification and Catherine will pursue a graduate degree in industrial organizational psychology and continue baking commercially at home.
Told that New Seasons’ current leadership, after learning of Deda’s former relationship with the company, was interested in sampling its baked goods, Chris Misener was unmoved.
The offer is appreciated, he said in an email.
“Sooner or later, though, it all comes down to the numbers,” he wrote, “and the big, wholesale bakeries can offer products at a much lower cost than a small, scratch bakery.”
