When you walk through the doors of the Back Home Bakery on the north side of downtown Weatherford, you’re immediately enveloped in the warm scent of baked goods. The pastry case on the left wall is lined with cookies, bars, and cupcakes, and straight ahead are warm smiles waiting to serve you at the counter. Walking through the space you truly get the feeling that everyone there operates as family, and they’re happy you came.
The bakery is most known for their custom cakes for every occasion, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and baby showers. They also get a lot of downtown foot traffic and know most of their regulars by their favorite desserts. Every bite is a testament to their dedication to bringing joy to the local community.
On an afternoon in 2014, current co-owner Jamie drove past what was then known as Jerry’s Back Home Bakery and saw a sign outside advertising that they were looking to sell. The sign read, “Roses are red, I’m tired as hell, it’s been fun, bakery for sale.”
Jamie immediately called her sister Erin, and they began the process of buying the bakery with their friend Amy. Erin says that when they stepped in to run the business, the staff was a godsend. Jamie, Erin, and Amy weren’t professional bakers, so it was invaluable to have a loyal, knowledgable staff in those early days.
As the business grew, they recognized the need to expand to a larger space and began looking around town for the perfect location. One day while nursing her baby, Erin got another call from Jamie saying that she had found their new location. The building was built in the late 1800s, and at their first viewing there was literally no roof or flooring. There were holes in the walls, a 12 foot difference in height between the front and back door, and it looked like it was more likely to be condemned than turned into a usable space.
But Jamie saw the potential and the partners knew it was a great opportunity to have a location on the Weatherford square. As they learned more, they discovered that the landlord was very invested in the local community and wanted to help revitalize the downtown area. The space was an empty shell when they began the project, but their landlord let them design the building exactly how they envisioned it. As a result of the partnership, they’ve been able to help improve the face value of the entire north end of the square.
Erin walked me past the original stone wall lining the hallway and recalled making a to-scale model of the space, complete with doll furniture. She laughs, but it truly helped them to move pieces around, see how everything would fit together, and make informed decisions while designing the space.
The most vital force behind the success of the bakery is community. Community has helped build the opportunity for Erin, Jamie, and Amy to live lives they love with their families. Community is what keeps their staff gelled together with the common goal of helping their customers celebrate life’s sweetest moments. And the local community is what helped the bakery survive the pandemic, serve only curbside goodies during the shutdown, and hold on to every staff member throughout the experience.
Erin says, “We have about 15 employees and they truly are the most hard working individuals. They’re so committed, they’re so loyal, and they love what they do. It’s such a gift that we get to help people celebrate all of life’s best moments. Our customers invite us into the most important aspects of their lives, and we’re not just making cakes: we’re providing something that’s helping a family celebrate, and we treasure that.”
