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Bismarck News

Young business owners bring old-school vibe to new bakery

Written by: Matt Bunk

The newest addition to downtown Bismarck is one part retro, two parts modern and definitely the sweetest thing on the block.

When Sweet Treats Cupcake Bar and Bakery opens later this month, owners Rachel and Lance Allderings will debut the first create-your-own cupcake buffet in Bismarck. They’ll also get to show off their decorating acumen – not only on cakes and cookies, but also the throw-back style of the bakery’s interior.

Rachel Allerdings (center) and her friend Brook Lindelow help their husbands install wood paneling on a wall behind the counter at Sweet Treats Cupcake Bar and Bakery, the newest business in downtown Bismarck.

The whole scene is a bit like stepping back into the era of drugstore soda fountains and ice cream parlors, complete with pink and fluorescent-green accent walls, layered woodwork and a logo reminiscent of the iconic television show “Bewitched.”

“We wanted it to be sort of retro and fun,” said Rachel Allderings, 28. “We’re even going to bring in some old-school things like lollipops.”

The way the Allderings look at it, downtown Bismarck is emerging once again as the cool place to be. Foot traffic is picking up. Nightlife has returned. And the time was right to follow through on their long-time dream of becoming business owners.

When the Allerdings heard the Patisserie on Fourth was considering closure at the end of its lease term, they jumped at the opportunity to join the downtown community and signed a lease for the location just south of The Toasted Frog.

“There are a lot of new businesses that are trying to make downtown hip, and we wanted to be a part of that,” Rachel said. “The downtowns in other bigger cities are so inspiring. We have big hopes and dreams for Bismarck.”

The bakery concept was something that came naturally.

“Things just fell into place,” Rachel said. “I had a traditional eight-to-five job, but then I’d come home from work and bake. Friends would call and ask me to bake cupcakes for a birthday party or something, and then pretty soon the word got out and I started getting overwhelmed with bakery orders. It was awesome.”

Lance Allerdings, 28, said he can’t get enough of his wife’s baked goods. He said the cookies she bakes are his favorite, though he thinks the uniqueness of the cupcake bar will be the centerpiece of the new business. After all, it will be the only place in town where customers can step up to a buffet, choose their favorite type of cupcake, peruse various flavors of icing and add their choice of toppings.

“Everything she bakes is so good,” he said. “I’m lucky my metabolism is so high and I’ve been able to stay skinny somehow.”

The Allerdings grew up in Minot, moved to Colorado Springs and then relocated to Bismarck almost four years ago. They’ve seen similar cupcake bars thrive in downtowns such as Denver, and they are betting that the trend will spread to Bismarck.

“There’s always the stress of whether or not it will be successful,” Lance said. “But at the same time you’re really excited to see if it will take hold. It’s a catch-22.”

Toasted Frog co-owner Jonathan Holth, who is renting the space to Sweet Treats, said he’s “thrilled to see a new business owner fulfill a dream while at the same time providing a new exciting addition to an evolving, diverse downtown.”

Rachel said she decided to switch careers and “do something I love” after watching her mother follow her dream to become a florist in Minot years ago.

“I could see that my mom was finally doing something she loved,” Rachel said. “The way she smiled, the way she acted – and I want to do the same thing for my family.”

Sweet Treats will offer a full line of baked goods during normal business hours and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Soup, salad and sandwiches will be served during lunch hours. And coffee. There will be good coffee, Rachel said.

“Our friends, Noah and Brooke Lindelow, have been helping us so much since the beginning, and Noah is a big coffee drinker,” Rachel said. “So we will definitely have good coffee.”

-Matt Bunk is publisher of the Great Plains Examiner.

 

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