Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Calamusa.
Hi Andrea, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In 2023, after retiring from the corporate world, I opened a home micro-bakery and started baking muffins, cookies and cinnamon rolls. I went to markets, sold to local retailers and sold my baked goods online. A dear friend decided that I needed more space for my baking, so when she saw a social media post for a local kitchen and bakery that was for sale – she told me I should buy it. I laughed and told her no. I knew enough about small businesses to realize that would be a life-altering endeavor, not to mention the cost of doing so. She wasn’t phased by my answer, and she continued to encourage me – to the point of telling me that if I didn’t tell my husband about the opportunity, then she would. Side note – she knew that my husband would be very excited and he would strongly encourage me to consider at least looking into it. So, I did. I sent a message and inquired and sure enough the sellers were still considering offers. The timeline was impossible, or so I thought. I sent the message on June 10th, 2024, on June 12th we spontaneously dropped by to just scout the location, but then ended up talking with the sellers, we met again the next day and left the meeting with a verbal agreement in place, June 15th we had final negotiations in place, July 1st we signed the lease and the sale papers, and on July 16th, 2024 we opened Bart’s Kitchen & Bakery.
In a very small window of time, I contacted everyone I knew in my network to help us make the necessary decisions to make this happen – including every prayer warrior we knew. We prayed fervently for God to give us “green lights” if this was truly the path that He wants us to be on, and if not, then we asked for road blocks so big that we couldn’t miss them. We got “green lights”. We got answered prayers. We got an outpouring of love and support from family, friends and our community that we never expected. I soon came to realize that this truly was a dream that I didn’t know I had until it became my reality.
The one question we get asked most often is “Who is Bart?”. Bart is a fictional donkey that my husband has wanted for a very long time. We had considered purchasing a small hobby farm a few years ago, and if that worked out then my husband wanted to have a donkey named Bart. We didn’t find a farm, but we did find a large canvas print of a donkey at Buccee’s and we thought that was the end of story. Little did we know that it was just the beginning. In the very small window of time that we decided to purchase the business, we also needed to come up with a name. My creativity was heavily overshadowed by the reality of what we were about to do, so one night while we were talking about a name, I just threw out “Bart”. Of course, my husband was all for it, and I liked it well enough – it was simple, easy to remember, and there was a back story already in place. So, we decided on Bart’s Kitchen & Bakery. The next morning while reading my daily devotional I had the realization that Bart’s was also an acronym for Blessed And Ready To Serve – that was our official “green light” that we were definitely on the right path.
I am no stranger to being a business owner, but this is the first brick and mortar business that I have ever owned and operated. There are so many facets to owning and running a business, not to mention the additional learning curve of a food service business. I have utilized every skill that I have acquired since my first job and I am grateful for my experiences of the past that are helping me today. I am also very grateful for my husband’s cooking skills and ability to develop recipes and helping me after working a full-time job. This is definitely a team effort – we have both put in a lot of sweat, tears and prayers but we have celebrated many joyous moments as well.
After being open for a few weeks, we quickly realized that we needed help. We were not expecting the rapid rate of growth that we were experiencing. So, we began to build our team. Again, I was able to reach out to my network and find people who wanted to be a part of Team Bart’s. Many of our team members have now been with us for a year – that’s a milestone worth celebrating. We have so many incredible, loyal customers and we continue to be blessed with new customers regularly. It is truly an honor to be able to serve our customers with homemade soups & casseroles, Grab-N-Go lunch items and sweet treats from our bakery – customers love our cookies. We also support other local vendors and small businesses by carrying their products in our retail area.
We have been open now for over a year. We have a team of 12, including myself and my husband. I put in long hours every day – whether I am at the shop or not, I am still working. But, even on the days that I worn completely out and exhausted, I still love what I do. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that have come along with being a small business owner in Downtown Murfreesboro, for our team and for our customers.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Learning how to run a commercial kitchen has been the biggest challenge. Cooking and baking on a large scale is very different from a home kitchen. Being a Grab-N-Go market, instead of a sit down restaurant, definitely makes the cooking easier to manage but we still cook on a large scale.
Debt – the financial burden of owning a business and incurring debt is very daunting. We have been extremely blessed that our business is thriving and we are able to continue growing.
Time commitment – owning and operating a new business consumes our calendar. We have ongoing conversations about the business, we aren’t in a position to take extended vacations, and even if we leave early, we still make ourselves available for our employees.
But overall, we have not experienced any obstacles that we haven’t been able to overcome.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Bart’s Kitchen & Bakery?
We are a Grab-N-Market located in Downtown Murfreesboro, TN. We offer a variety of lunch options such as Chicken Salad, 3 types of Pimento Cheeses, salads, snack boxes and specialty drinks in our Grab-N-Go fridge. We also offer an assortment of soups and take-n-bake casseroles. Our bakery offers freshly baked cookies, brownies, yeast rolls, muffins, and other assorted baked goods. We cook in small batches and from scratch – “just like Grama does”. We also accommodate “custom” orders such as layered cakes, pies, cupcakes, etc. Our retail area is stocked with items from local vendors and small businesses.
Customers love our cookies – especially our Chocolate Chip cookie. We also have a Donkey Dozen which is 13 of our drop cookies for $30. This makes a great gift or an easy dessert option for a meeting or gathering. We offer several flavors of our drop cookies: Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Pecan, Peanut Butter, Snickerdoodle, Oatmeal Raisin, Cowboy, White Chocolate Macadamia. We also offer seasonal options: Ginger Molasses, Pumpkin Snickerdoodle, Lemon Crinkle and White Chocolate Cranberry.
We believe in serving our customers – we want everyone who walks through our doors to feel welcomed, valued and seen. Hospitality is our mission – our customers are not just transactions. We make it a point to get to know our customers, learn their names, and we find ways to serve them, like remembering a casserole they like and sending them a text that it’s on the menu this week.
I am very proud of our mission and how we continue to uphold our hospitality efforts among a growing customer base. Being intentional and staying true to our company’s core values helps us to stay focused on our mission. #BlessedAndReadyTo Serve
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara was an inspirational book to read and help us keep our focus on hospitality. Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten really spoke to me and helped me realize my dream was coming true. Another great book is The New One Minute Manager.
The resources I depend on the most are my networking groups. I am a member of Rutherford Cable and The Boro Breakfast Club. Having a network of professional women to help guide, assist, mentor and celebrate with is a priceless business-owner asset.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bartskitchenandbakery.com
- Instagram: @bartskitchenandbakery
- Facebook: @bartskitchenandbakery
- LinkedIn: @bartskitchenandbakery
