The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Success is sweet for the owners of BAM Desserts, evidenced by the December 13 opening of their new, expanded location at 1830 Easton Avenue.
Owners Melissa and Lester Jenkins held a ribbon-cutting to formally mark the new location’s opening. Among those attending were Mayor Phil Kramer and Township Councilman Will Galtieri.
Melissa Jenkins said the need for the move from their original site on Hamilton Street was brought about by the increasing amount of custom and wholesale business they were experiencing. They literally ran out of room, she said.
“We would be trying to figure out where to put items,” she said.
“Also, we wanted seating space and we wanted a location that was easier to get to. People couldn’t find us on Hamilton Street, and now we’re getting the walk-in traffic, we’re right next to the pizzeria, which is great.”
“Our choices were stay where we are and limit ourselves, or take the leap of faith,” she said. “So we took the leap of faith, and it’s working out well.”
“It’s really a great change, we wanted to take the store to the next level,” she said. “We wanted to not be the typical bakery but have the dessert experience.”
The new location offers the couple more than twice the space of their original store, which meant more room for ovens, refrigerators and freezers, as well as for new offerings.
Two rooms will be available starting around January for parties or corporate meetings, and the front area also offers seating for parties, or for people who just want to enjoy a cupcake and a cup of coffee.
One room can fit 12 to 15 people, she said, while the other could accommodate eight to 10 people.
Jenkins said future plans include offering classes in cookie, cake pop and mini-bundt cake decorating.
“Fun stuff,” she said. “When everyone gets stressed, it’s nice to do something different and hang out. We may be doing something different later on.”
Business hours are 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
Jenkins said the store will be open noon to 5 p.m. on two Sundays, December 15 and 23, as a test.
“In January we’ll be closed on Sundays and then re-evaluate if we’re going to be open on Sundays in February,” she said.
The Franklin Reporter & Advocate live streamed the ribbon-cutting and took a tour of the new store:
https://www.facebook.com/franklinreporter/videos/498974877493289/