Why I’m Closing Our Peekskill Location
Dear Team Blondies,
It is with a mix of gratitude and sadness that I announce the closing of our Peekskill retail location. After 20 incredible months, the time has come to say goodbye.
It is important to note that we are not closing the business entirely. Our online operations remain active and continue to generate over 75% of our income. Please continue to order blondies.
I started Blondery back in 2018 to provide a safe space for myself and others to thrive in this industry. From selling over 500 orders in two weeks from my Brooklyn apartment to enduring Hurricane Ida and the pandemic, I’ve learned so much about my industry and who I am as a person.
For those of you who don’t know, Blondery is a natively e-commerce bakery specializing in shipping luxurious blondies and other gourmet treats all around the country.
In 2021, we were operating out of a shared kitchen space in Brooklyn when Hurricane Ida hit, forcing us to move with only eight days’ notice. The only place I could find was in Peekskill. While we worked out of a temporary space, I visualized making Peekskill home. It became so real that I manifested a space of our own only a few feet away.
On November 19, 2022, we opened our first-ever retail store. Since day one, people have asked, “Why did you choose Peekskill?” My response was always, “Peekskill chose us.”
For those of you who are not familiar with the area, the 2022 census stated the median income for a household in Peekskill was $86,695 compared to $152,917 for Yorktown, the next city over. I didn’t do any market research or a feasibility study.
Being my ambitious self, I hoped to build our online community into a real-life one and become one of the OGs after the area became all that I envisioned. I participated in festivals, partnered with other small businesses, and donated countless treats to local law enforcement and city officials.
Something you should know about me: I have relatively thick skin, but sometimes I’ll let pride or my ego drive decisions.
I often received comments such as “This doesn’t look like a bakery” or “I thought this was a hair salon,” and they started to get to me.
Those combined with really slow sales, often going hours without seeing any customers, I took their comments to mean that more people would come if we looked like a bakery.
So, I took out a line of credit to build counters, mount displays, and make us “look” like a bakery. I even got a sign that said “BAKERY.” I really wanted to add coffee to our menu, but I couldn’t even break even.
After our appearance on CBS Mornings, I was sure that a swarm of new people would come in, and while some did, it was more of a trickle. Of course, our online orders were through the roof and really gave us a big lift nationally, but locally, we were still struggling. We hired five new kitchen and fulfillment people to handle the new uptick of sales, but by May 2022, things had slowed significantly.
After months of trying different initiatives like expanding the product line to include typical bakery items like doughnuts and cinnamon rolls, I saw that maybe we were not the problem. I found myself gritting my teeth when answering the gut-punching question, “Why Peekskill?” I sensed the undertone of skepticism. Perhaps a knowing. They were surprised I would open Blondery in Peekskill. Some were not so subtle, often remarking on our prices or discussing us in Facebook groups.
I tried so hard, which makes it equally hard to say that I give up 🤷🏾♀️
A phone call with my accounting team earlier this year confirmed what I already knew: we were losing money by opening the store every weekend. I struggled to make payroll every week, and it felt impossible to get ahead or pay other bills. However, I am not giving up on my business. In fact, I am moving forward with so much more clarity about the direction I would like the company to go in.
Peekskill showed me what is possible for myself and my business.
Ultimately, I may just be ahead of my time.
In late June of this year, I let go of the three members of my retail team, who I affectionately called “my girls.” They were young women at different stages of their lives, but Blondery was their common ground. Our group text always brought me comfort, knowing these bright spirits loved their jobs at Blondery. Letting them go eased my financial burden but also broke my heart. They had become my reason to push harder every week.
In addition to the money spent on building out the retail store, I was also spending so much time on retail-related things. Whether it be managing time-off requests, training my team, sending out emails and texts to drum up business, posting in local Facebook groups, etc., I was neglecting the part of my business that actually makes us money: our online business.
August 25 will be our last day open in Peekskill.
Over the next few weeks, I will work alone, so our hours may vary. I am now doing the work of three people, which means some weekends, like the upcoming one, the store will be closed while I attend a pop-up.
Friday July 26, 2024 — Open in Peeksill 12–4 PM
Saturday July 27 — Sunday July 28 Borscht Belt Festival in Ellenville, NY
Based on the numbers, it is better for me to be out in the world meeting customers where they are most likely to shop rather than waiting in Peekskill, hoping they come to me.
A few things will be going away after August 25: doughnuts and cinnamon rolls. It is my intention to do limited drops of these items when I host what I am dubbing Bakery Open House Hours, but you’ll have to subscribe to my newsletter to get more details.
I am so grateful for the support of the locals and those who traveled from Cortland, Croton, NYC, and beyond. Our next chapter is destined to be epic with all the lessons I’ve learned, and I can’t wait to share what’s next. Blondery is in need of your support to get back on our feet, so please consider stopping by or placing an order on the website.
Thank you, Peekskill.
