Bittersweet Bakery & More celebrating 10 years of business in little Plum City

Bittersweet Bakery & More opened in Plum City on September 4, 2004, and looking back, the owners say the time has flown.
"This was something I always wanted to do, and I needed a change," said owner Gwen Glaus. "The kids went off to college and didn't need mom much anymore."
Glaus said the building became available, and she described it as a diamond in the rough.
"I saw potential," she said.
Gwen and her husband, Todd, eventually opened up a deck on the side of the building, and added a back room.
"We just got so busy, and people wanted to sit and visit," she said. "We sometimes had 13 people around our little table in front."
The deck was later converted into a side room, with Todd Glaus, Todd Bjurquist, and Don Fedie doing the majority of the work. The addition allowed Gwen the opportunity to offer a few lines of gift-ware, and space for more tables.
Visitors can find small treasures and gifts, ranging from dish towels to local items such as maple syrup from Weiss' Woods and knitted items from Rachel Herbison.
"It's just a nice add-on for a quick gift, and travelers look for local stuff to say they got from Plum City," Glaus said.
Ten years ago, Glaus said she thought her bakery would be a muffin and coffee shop where she could make cards.
"It just got bigger and bigger, and I never even had time to bring my card-making things here," she said.
Todd added they were told a bakery in Plum City would never work.
"At that point it became a personal challenge," he said.
"It's gotten to be more than we ever anticipated," Gwen said. "It's just wonderful. The local people have been wonderfully supportive."
Aside from filling the display case, Glaus also bakes pies for Molly's on Main, provides donuts for Dean's, and buns for JM Watkins Locker. She said she tries to tell visitors about Designs by Diane, and the Plum City Revival antique store.
"It's wonderful that the small businesses in town are a draw for people," she said. "A wide variety is nice to have."
Glaus also provides the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery with homemade caramels, caramel popcorn, and frosted sugar cookies to sell.
Visitors can also find seasonal items, such as painted pumpkins from Sherry Gilles, and sometimes homemade pickles from Jim Harvey.
"We get a lot of repeat people, and have formed a lot of friendships in 10 years," Glaus said. "We have people from Rochester, the Twin Cities, Afton, and Pepin. They get to know the local people and form friendships with them."
Glaus said it's nice how the small businesses support each other and feed off each other.
"The hardware store and I both send customers across the street to each other," she said.
Best sellers at Bittersweet Bakery & More include caramel rolls and raspberry muffins.
"I've made raspberry muffins almost every day since we opened," Glaus said. "I thought people would be sick of them by now."
Other goodies include donuts, pastries, seasonal Christmas cookies, and pumpkin muffins.
"People in Plum City know what scones are now," Glaus said.
Glaus also offers ice cream year-round, provided by Juland Dairy in Menomonie.
Glaus also takes special orders for things such as buns, cookies, and rolls.
"I can supply people with whatever they need," she said. "I also do pies at holiday time."
Todd said the growth over the 10 years has been great.
"The amount of travelers and repeat customers we have is amazing," Gwen said. "We have groups who come in the morning and afternoon for coffee."
Todd said the energy after 10 years has changed.
"It takes a lot of hours," he said.
The Glaus' said people can't believe the business survived in a town the size of Plum City—much less for 10 years.
"I'm amazed there are still people finding us for the first time," Glaus said. "We had a woman from Waverly in last week who didn't know we were here."
Glaus said she likes to change things around in the bakery so people always have something different to look at.
Looking back, Glaus said one of her favorite memories was when Jackie Schaal had a dummy she hauled around and had people guess where it was.
"She put him in with the garden club ladies, and it was so funny," she said. "It's just funny little things like that that bring a lot of camaraderie. A lot of friendships have been built here."
Another favorite memory for Glaus was being a part of a tourism video.
"It turned out so cute," she said. "A lot of the locals got in on it."
The Glaus' also took part in Plum City's sesquicentennial celebration parade.
"A bunch of my kids' friends came down to help hand out cookies in the parade," Glaus said. "That was definitely a highlight."
Glaus also said she enjoys seeing little kids come in the bakery.
"They ask if they can put their own sprinkles on the long johns, or they'll eat the sprinkles and frosting off and flip it over, then want more for that side," she said. "It's fun to see kids around town. Some give me a big hug. I get to watch them grow up."
Yet another highlight of their years of business, Glaus said, was being named the 2012 Pierce County Small Business of the Year.
Glaus said Todd is always at the bakery on Saturday, and she gets a hand from friends Tracy Gilles and Rachel Herbison. She has no full-time help.
"If I'm really in a bind some friends help me make coffee," Glaus said. "I have good friends who help out."
One challenge for the Bittersweet Bakery & More was when Main Street was under construction, and customers had to cross a ramp to get inside.
"We were told if we make it through that, we'd be OK," Todd said.
Another challenge has been the rising cost of everything, said Glaus.
"Supplies have gone up," she said. "People can only afford to pay so much, so we eat some of it. That's the biggest challenge now, as everyone knows."
Glaus said her plan is to maintain and enjoy what they currently have.
"We're as big as we can get," she said. "We don't need to be any bigger."
Bittersweet Bakery & More will be holding an anniversary celebration October 3-5 with extended hours, in-house specials, and door prizes through the weekend. The bakery is also a part of the Fall Fresh Art Tour that weekend, and will be stocked with plenty of baked goods, caramel popcorn, popcorn balls, fudge, caramels, peanut brittle, popcorn crunch, maple syrup, and ice cream.
For more information visit www.bittersweetbakeryandmore.com, or "Like" the bakery on Facebook.