Recently I had the pleasure of spending some time with Maggie Nylund, the owner of Magpie’s Bakery in Valdez. Besides the obvious appeal of her tasty baked goods, quiches and soup, she had a very interesting story to tell.

Maggie Nylund opened Magpie’s Bakery in November 2008. Prior to opening the bakery Nylund operated a wholesale business, working out of a friend’s kitchen. She expects to pay off her start-up business loan this summer.

Nylund, who holds a degree in biochemistry, wanted to settle back in her hometown of Valdez. She surveyed the town’s needs and discovered that people needed a bakery / cafe where people could feel at home and drink cup after cup of coffee all day long. She calls her bakery a “sanctuary.” The town also wanted a place to get “special” things, a wedding cake, for example. The only other option for that type of product in Valdez is the Safeway.

According to Nylund, the town of Valdez lost three very important retail / tourism businesses in the winter of 2009/2010, including a RV park. Overall, she says, tourism fluctuates but is down. Over the past four years she has also noticed a lot of cutting back by the charter fishing businesses.

Nylund attributes her success in this down business climate to the research she did prior to opening, to the support of the town, and to her ability to keep start-up costs low. Most of her kitchen equipment is used. In the near future she is looking forward to buying the building, which doubles as her home (she and her husband live in the 2nd floor), as well as doing more mobile vending in the summers.

 
  © 2010 Loren Holmes