Stuart Howe, owner of Saint John Bakery. Image: Cherise Letson/Huddle Today
A new bakery opening in east Saint John plans to be a go-to local spot for baked goods and special occasions.
Slated to open in September at 535 Westmorland Road next to Delizioso Bistro & Sweets, Saint John Bakery is owned by Stuart Howe, who was inspired to open a bakery after his parents purchased the Village Square Bake Shop in Grand Bay-Westfield about four years ago.
“There’s been a continuous bakery there for as long as anybody can remember,” says Howe. “My mom is in her early 70s and she worked at the bakery there when was 16. A lot of the recipes are still the same. Why fix it if it ain’t broken, right?”
Howe moved back home to the Saint John area a year ago after living in the U.S. where he worked in the wedding entertainment industry as well as a professional opera singer. After spending some time helping his parents at the Village Square Bake Shop, he fell in love with the business.
“When they opened the bakery and I got in there and got my hands on things. I was like, ‘I really like this and I really like interacting with people,’” he says. “They more than doubled the business from the time they took it over and we thought we could expand the brand.”
Howe decided to open his own bakery, using the same recipes and branding used at Village Square, though he decided to go with a different name.
“This is my bakery, I own this one. They own that one,” says Howe. “But it’s still the same family bakery brand.”
When it came to choosing a location, Howe chose the east side because it didn’t already have a locally-owned bakery, though there are several big box stores that sell baked goods.
“East Saint John had nothing and this is the largest retail area in all of New Brunswick in one area,” he says. “I’m the kind of person who thinks, ‘wait a minute, why isn’t there one out there? There must be a bad reason that there’s not one out there.’ But I don’t think there is.”
Saint John Bakery will sell traditional every day baked goods, the same quality people have come to know at Village Square.
“The first thing we’re going to do is stay true to the Grand Bay store,” says Howe. “The white bread there and the raisin brown bread and the cinnamon buns and the donuts are legendary. People line up outside on Saturdays to go in and get these things, so those things will all be here.”
But Howe also plans to add some new products, including different kinds of pastries.
“I would like to add some different things. I’m going to hire a pastry chef and I’d like to have house-made croissants, baguette, French pastries, and things that are harder to find here unless you buy a multi-pack at Sobeys,” he says. “I hope that we can fill those needs for people.”
Howe is currently finishing up renovations and is hiring his team. The goal is to open a shop sometime next month. Besides retail, Saint John Bakery will be offering catering services and taking online orders for pickup.
“I want us to be an everyday bakery where you come every day for your bread of baked goods, and we also want to be a special occasion place.”
In an area dominated by big box stores and national chains, Howe hopes Saint John Bakery will be another place for people who live and work in the area to get something made locally made.
“I’d like to see more stores like mine and Delizioso next store, independent shops offering unique products. I shop at big box stores, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nice to have stuff that made with love and care,” he says. “I just hope people want great food, that’s all I hope for … I just hope people really love our products.”
Cherise Letson is the associate editor of Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
