By Camryn Stroupe, Opinions Editor
Breanna Wages had always dreamed of owning her own bakery. Originally from Texarkana, AR, Wages carried with her experience and baking heritage to open Bakes by Bree, a new bakery in the location formerly housing Samantha’s Bakery and Cafe. I personally visited Bakes by Bree this past Thursday, and found myself transported into a sweets-lover’s wonderland.
Walking into Bakes by Bree’s turquoise building, I was greeted by the sound of familiar Contemporary Christian songs on the speakers and a smiling face at the counter. The warm and friendly atmosphere was immediately noticeable from floor to ceiling, with pink Valentine’s-themed bows lining the walls and a gorgeous wall adorned with pink roses and a neon sign that read, “Good Vibes Only.” I immediately felt welcome and at home.
Looking over the menu and in the pastry display, I saw many items that caught my eye: cupcakes with buttercream frosting, macarons, a variety of cookies, brownies, coffee drinks, specialty alani drinks and other baked goods. I personally ordered a chocolate peanut butter cupcake and a lavender vanilla latte, but while there I got the opportunity to taste the birthday cake and strawberry macarons, doozie (two chocolate chip cookies with frosting in between), one of the specialty cookies for design orders and the caramel latte. All of the items I tasted were spectacular, and definitely satisfied my sweet tooth.
Bakes by Bree had beginnings with deep roots. “I come from a lineage of bakers,” Wages said. “My granny was the hometown baker, so I inherited a lot of her recipes, things and love for dessert. There was always a dessert on her icebox growing up. I got older and started with pies and my family would rave about them, so I began taking them to potlucks we’d have. A lady gave me an opportunity there who was on Good Morning America, and she grew her own bakery from a small at-home business into a big-time bakery. She was a lot of my motivation. I met another phenomenal woman who I like to call my work mom, and she showed me how to upscale into a bigger bakery. I got to the point where I woke up thinking about it and fell asleep thinking about wanting my own shop. When I got married, I moved to Malvern, AR, and we go to church here which is what brought us to Arkadelphia.”
Soon after moving to Arkadelphia, Wages quickly made a name for herself in the area that led to the bakery ownership. “I started working for Ford Construction,” Wages said. “I started to work some with the Chamber, and I am such a people person. I love people and serving a community, and started networking with them and other people and that was how I met Samantha. I had no idea there was a bakery here before, but the Lord worked it all out. I needed to be at Ford where I learned as an office manager about the behind-the-scenes that I never knew before. I learned the highs and lows of running a business and the structure of it. Eventually I saw Samantha and offered to partner with her with my decorated cookies and they shared that they had just made the decision to close. They wanted this legacy here to live on, so we decided that I was going to take it over and do my absolute best to keep the bakery open here in Arkadelphia.”
Though Bakes by Bree doesn’t offer food apart from their baked goods, I still found it to be a great atmosphere to study and work in. With Onyx coffee and one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten, the bakery held a sweet atmosphere smothered with love and care by Wages and everyone who works there. “We put a lot of love into our coffees,” Wages said. “We have a coffee of the day everyday that we usually post. We also do flavored Red Bulls, dirty Alani, dirty Dr. Peppers and Coke. We also want to make lemonades in the summer. I can tell you, if you don’t like your coffee or drink, we’re pouring it out and remaking it. It’s not that big of a deal to me. I would much rather you like it and want to come back to that environment.”
One thing that is clear is that Bakes by Bree is always ready to try something new in addition to the coffees of the day. “Every week we have a rotating treat,” Wages said. “We have one rotating, sometimes a couple, depending on the week. We rotate cookies and cupcakes and call them the ‘mystery’ item.”
Wages wants to ensure that the bakery is always a positive experience for customers. “Our goal is to give quick and great goods,” Wages said. “I always ask my girls, ‘Is it quick, is it great, is it good?’ That’s our motto. We are involved, I am in the shop all the time and we’ve tried to make it a super bright environment. We want to give great options and quality. I want to keep this a very safe place for people to come in and be able to study or even if we need to pray we can stop everything we are doing and pray right then. I also am very strict about keeping Christian music playing inside, and I just want it to be a safe place. In the future we also want to do a faith and friends day that’s a Bible study evening out on the back patio.”
“We do offer the community custom orders for birthdays and events,” Wages said. “That’s where my heart lies, is to be a part in helping somebody make their event special in a way that no one else might can. Out back, I want to offer the patio as a rental for your own type of space for a birthday party or gathering, and we provide the cake and everything through a package deal. It would be cute, fun with lots of music and decor already done. We are all about small-town and the little birthdays. I want to be where I make someone’s smash cake for their very first birthday all the way up to their sixteenth and beyond. We’ve done really well with that. Life is great, and if it weren’t for God we wouldn’t be here and be able to do any of the things we did.”
The Arkadelphia community has seemed to welcome Bakes by Bree with open arms. “It’s been insane,” Wages said. “I’d already made a name for myself personally throughout the community at every ribbon cutting and every Chamber event. I partnered with Ludwigs and did a bunch of treats for different businesses, and people were already familiar with me and I’d already grown fond with some people. When I got this bakery, everybody was so excited for us and it has been overwhelming support that we’ve gotten. I’ve been so busy that I’ve had to hire more people.”
Overall, Bakes by Bree was an amazing, warm experience and I cannot wait to return to try more goodies. Whether it be a place to study, a local business to order decorated cookies from or a grab-and-go coffee fix, Bakes by Bree will definitely be on the top of my list for businesses to support in our local community.
