Photo of Robert A. DeFrank Mary Jane Bakery owner Julie Whedon, right, and daughter Elizabeth Thompson welcome customers as the store opens on Monday.
When Mary Jane’s Bakery opens its doors on Monday, the street will smell of freshly baked goods.
Owner Julie Widen has fond childhood memories of her grandmother, Mary Jane Borrows of Columbus, Ohio.
“My grandparents owned some bars and pubs in Columbus, and I remember when they retired and moved to Florida, my grandmother would always send everyone a Styrofoam cooler at Christmas,” Whedon said.
She recalls digging up the packaging material.
“It was filled with her Christmas cookies, just elaborate cookies. Santa looked like Santa and the wreath was beautiful and painted too.
“What I want to take away from her and keep her legacy is baked goods,” she said. “We started this business when my grandmother died 12 years ago. Before she died, she gave me family recipes, so after she died, we started a business, named after her, and we used our family recipe.”
This bakery originally opened in Chillicothe, Ohio in 2010. Three years later, Widen started working in retail.
“I’ve been in retail for the past seven years, but I decided to start over,” she said. “We are famous for our cinnamon rolls. We also specialize in cookies. We do a lot of different kinds of cookies, bundt cakes, cake pops.”
Holiday-themed seasonal offerings will also be launched in the coming months.
“We like to pride ourselves on fresh local produce. You see it, we make it. We don’t thaw and serve. We don’t do anything we thaw and go. All our baked goods are made by us, fresh, Local. I think that’s a big thing. We work with local farmers to get our eggs, meat and produce,” she said. “We’ve seen a very good response from the community.”
In the future, Widen intends to offer DoorDash delivery and SMS ordering services. The staff is currently six years old, she and her daughters.
When it opens, Widen said the bakery will offer soups, salads and sandwiches. The grand opening has not yet been scheduled, she said.
stone. Wendy Anderson, director of the Claresville Area Chamber of Commerce, said the city welcomes a full-fledged bakery.
“Now we’re in St. Clairsville with Giancinta’s (Gelato & Cafe) and Newellstown Diner, and we can satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth or coffee needs in St. Clairsville, so we’re very excited and enthusiastic.”
The bakery is located at 110 W. Main St., where For the Love of Pirogies was located until the company moved to Centre Street in Wheeling. Hours of operation are 6am-6pm Monday-Friday and 7am-5pm Saturday. Call 740-433-9390 for more information.