As my largely wholesale business, The Ragamuffin: A Mostly Wholesome Bakery, continues to thrive in South Bend, we are hopeful that an expansion to a storefront in the East Bank is just around the corner. The East Bank is a great fit for us in terms of its growing and evolving residential base, the sustainability focus of the Howard Park/East Race/DTSB neighborhood, and the compatibility with those using the river trail, the new ice rink/spray pad, children’s bookstore, Unity Garden, schools, places of worship, and more. Wholesome, house-made croissants, bagels, scones, GF cookies and muffins, breads, hand pies, ice creams, along with locally roasted, fair trade coffee would be a wonderful addition to East Race and add to the welcoming retail density of the area. By opening a holiday pop-up bakery, we hope to further familiarize the public with the quality and diversity of our baked goods, culminating in establishing our own storefront East Bank location in 2019. We are currently negotiating with the owners of two different retail spaces for our pop-up, and will have settled on our spot by the time this grant is awarded.
The Ragamuffin is committed to using local, organic ingredients as much as possible and in encouraging fellow female entrepreneurs. The local foodie community is thriving and supportive of one another, making collaborative creativity an exciting reality!