Small Business Spotlight: Polish Princess Bakery
We like to speak with clients about their businesses, what are the ingredients to success, and hopefully inspire more entrepreneurs to take the next step.
CEDC: We’re very excited today to be speaking with a CEDC business grant recipient Magdalena Randall founder of Polish Princess Bakery in Lancaster. Thanks for joining us. Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?
Answer: I moved from Poland to the US in 2003 after meeting my husband. After we had moved from Boston to St. Johnsburg, we came upon Lancaster by “accident” while visiting friends in Littleton. We fell in love with Lancaster as soon as we saw it.
CEDC: How did you get started? What made you want to open your own business?
Answer: I grew up working in the restaurant and hospitality industry and always wanted to own my own business. I began attending the King Arthur Education Center in Vermont to receive advanced training. I started a “Bread Club” and was going to Farmers Markets from 2008-2010 with a sign-up email list. It began with 18 loaves and I worked my way up to 25 and 30. A client then donated a pizza oven to me, and I was able to double production. Greetings Jewelers in Berlin would host me for 2 hours for bread pickups. In January of 2015 we opened the store with 3 employees (2FT and 1 PT) from 7am-2pm to ensure a balanced family life.
CEDC: As business trying to operate during the pandemic, how did you make things work? Did you see the community come together and support each other? Anything particular you did to help get you through? Tips for other businesses?
Answer: The community support from customers was instrumental to our survival. We even had a large amount of out-of-town support from people driving up. There were a couple changes we made to ensure the business stayed afloat. First, we cut costs by consolidating food and limiting our menu. Second, we created a new model of meal and bread to go. This was something we had wanted to try but didn’t previously have the time to pursue. People seemed to really enjoy the new options. During the winter we even kept the butter in the trunk of the car to help save on utilities! Finally, our times were altered to be 1 shift, 5 days a week, to save on payroll.
CEDC: How did you hear about CEDC?
Answer: I met Lise, who was the previous executive director, and she been instrumental in sharing COVID support resources. In addition, she informed me about the Community Business Beautification grant that CEDC offered and we used it to purchase the chairs and tables you see today outside of the bakery for folks to be able to sit and gather.
CEDC: Tell me more about your what makes your business unique or fill a niche.
Answer: We have the best bread and pizza dough in the area. I feel our store really helped put Lancaster on the map for food and since then our Main Street businesses have been growing. We also do not ship our bread to make sure people get the highest quality. We strive to make locals feel served and are always looking to donate back to the community.
CEDC: What advice can you offer other small businesses just starting?
Answer: Do not be afraid to go on your own. If you do your homework you can succeed. Think three steps ahead when deciding what size equipment you need to operate. I should have purchased a bigger cooler! If you get a startup loan don’t feel like you must use it all upfront if you don’t need to.
Magdalena Randall, Chief Princess & Owner
CEDC: What are you thinking about doing next? Any future plans or expansion?
Answer: With the Taproot Marketplace moving down the street, we now can expand into their old space with more seating. We will then renovate our current area to accommodate more counterspace to display more product options. In 2023, we would also like to start building opportunities for more job shadowing to help grow culinary students.
CEDC: This has been great! And as a grant recipient and frequent client myself to your shop, all of us at CEDC are very proud of all you’ve done. Any last thoughts to pass on to other business folks?
Answer: Be prepared and always keep financial reserves. Never apologize for good products. Thank you for having me.
CEDC: Thanks again for your time today!
If you are in the Lancaster area and are looking for amazing baked goods, it is a must to stop into the Polish Princess Bakery and see the Chief Princess yourself. To learn more, visit https://PolishPrincessBakery.com or call 603-788-8222.
If you would like to have your business featured in our Small Business Spotlight, email us at execdirector@coosedc.org.ms are realized through the CEDC programs which gives many the needed funding and advice that’s needed to see a project get off the ground. I’m thankful to be able to participate in the process.