How to Open a Boutique Bakery
Opening a boutique bakery differs greatly from establishing an regular bake shop, as your target is a much more limited clientele. Contrary to bakeries that can attract everyone needing the basic commodity of bread, boutique bakeries offer more elaborate baked goods and sweets, whose higher price renders them a luxury. It is essential to understand this distinction, which is similar to the budget hotel -- boutique hotel divide, as it can help you create and stick to a coherent plan for opening and operating an upscale bakery.
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Instructions
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Determine the area of your boutique bakery. As this type of business offers expensive baked goods and sweets, choose an area with an affluent population, having high personal income index and a relatively low unemployment rate. Find information on regional personal income and the unemployment rate at the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics websites.
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Determine your initial capital. If you are starting the business with one or more partners, gather information on each investor's purse. Sum up the figures to calculate the amount you can spend on your initial business moves.
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Search for commercial property within the area you have chosen for your boutique bakery. In upscale areas, the cost of rent can be substantially high, so be careful not to waste your initial capital on renting the property alone.
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Divide your commercial property into the workroom, the place where baked goods and sweets are made, and the front of your store, where you display finished goods and interact with customers.
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Purchase or lease equipment for your bakery workroom and the front customer area. Consult the websites of established bakery equipment suppliers, such as Empire and Gemini, to determine the number and average cost of the equipment your business needs.
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Allow a professional interior designer to decorate the boutique bakery's exterior and front room. In the luxury market, the image of the store is equally important to the quality of your products, as it will help you draw an upscale clientele and establish the bakery's "boutique" character.
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Hire experienced bakers and confectioners. Do not try to save money by employing less established -- and cheaper -- professionals, as your boutique bakery will be judged by the quality of the baked goods and sweets you offer. High prices for mediocre goods almost certainly results in customer dissatisfaction.
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Contact wholesalers to equip with the basic supplies for a bakery, such as flour, sugar and other ingredients. Consult "4WholesaleUSA.com" to track wholesale suppliers throughout the country.
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References
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