By Kathy Cook Hunter
Molly Ainsley has been between a rock and a hard place regarding her business, Rolling Hills Bakery. Noticing a decline in sales at the bakery due to the poor economy, Ainsley had to decide how to stay in operation.
“Ever since the stock market went down people stopped coming in, or the business was very erratic,” Ainsley said. She went to her bank inquiring what it could do to help and was told, “No, not at this time.”
Then a friend, Renee Bianchi of Stone Buddha, recommended Ainsley ask others to help at the café that serves coffee, fresh baked cookies and breads along with soups and sandwiches. Because employee payroll is one of a business’s main expenses, Ainsley had to let her staff go and now has volunteers assist her in keeping the doors open.
“My friends are helping me on a scheduled basis,” Ainsley said.
Bianchi said it benefits the community when people work together. The bakery is more than a place to buy locally made bread, she added.
“It is a place to go with the kids and hang out,” she said. “Place’s like Molly’s bakery, the yarn shop, Silver Creek Coffeehouse and Wine Bar and Stomp-N-Grounds Coffee Shop are community gathering places and where life happens.”
During the busiest times, early morning and midday, people help with the chores while Ainsley bakes breads and prepares lunches. The friends might wash pots or clean up the baking room or help at the sales counter.
“They like my place of business and want it to stay here,” she said. She always intended the bakery’s front area to be a home away from home, comfortable and welcoming. Since it opened, Rolling Hills has become a place to talk, read the paper, use a laptop computer or just sip coffee and watch people.
About 10 or 12 volunteers have signed up to help. Those who have jobs come in very early, Ainsley said, and all of them usually work three or four hours. “I can manage the slow times, but from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. it’s busy.”
As she ponders what she needs to do to keep her business afloat, she said she has considered becoming a co-op. Another idea is to change her hours and stay open later, perhaps until 6 p.m. She thinks some people may want to stop for take-out. During the holiday season she’s offering special orders on such items as pumpkin log and fruitcake.
“This place is part of the community,” Ainsley said. “The people of Silverton I know are very forgiving and very supportive. I feel I will resolve my problems by the end of this month. I know I will get through this – I’m a survivor. This place was meant to be.”
A woman who would rather give than receive, Ainsley is moved to tears by her friends’ generosity and kindness. She knows she wouldn’t be able to keep the doors open if it weren’t for the help.
“This effort wasn’t just me, it was the town,” she said.
