Berkemann’s Baker’s Dozen, a Main Street bakery known for wedding cakes, holiday pies, and daily pastries, has closed unexpectedly, leaving New Baden without its only bakery. Since then, residents have decorated the shop’s windows with cards and Valentine’s Day decorations. Owner Paul Berkemann says he plans to sell the building and hopes the next owner will continue baking.
Ovens With 125 Years Of History
The bakery sits at 115 W. Hanover Street, a spot that has housed a bakery since about 1903 and built roughly 125 years of local tradition. Paul Berkemann bought the business in 2000 and later renamed it Berkemann’s Baker’s Dozen, a chapter in the storefront’s long history and his decision to list the property that have been detailed by Belleville News-Democrat.
Owner Puts Business Up For Sale
After a family medical emergency in late October, Berkemann temporarily shuttered operations in early November. By January, he said he would list the business for sale, offering the property, equipment and recipes, and even "me, if they want me," to a buyer willing to keep the bakery running. Of the roughly 30 employees who worked there, more than half have told him they would like to return if and when the doors reopen, Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Community Covers The Windows In Love Notes
Residents have turned the bakery’s windows into a wall of cards, posters and Valentines to thank Berkemann for generations of cakes and cookies. "If you could describe a business in one word that’s as important to this community as Paul’s bakery is, it’s home," worker Dawn Allen said, capturing how personal the loss has felt to employees and customers, as reported by First Alert 4.
Personal Traditions On The Line
Longtime customers have traced their own memories to the shop. One woman said her family bought the building in the 1930s and that she and her grandfather used to make hundreds of pounds of Christmas cookies there. "I appreciate these people so much," Berkemann told reporters, and he said those connections are why he would like a buyer who will keep the bakery’s traditions alive, according to First Alert 4.
What Comes Next
The Valentine-decorated windows currently remain as a tribute and a reflection of the bakery’s role in the town. Berkemann hopes a buyer will continue operating the bakery on New Baden’s Main Street, and neighbors plan to advocate for its continuation.
