The first smells that hit customers at the newly opened Baker’s Corner on the corner of Main Street and Madbury Road are the sweetness of its display. With an array of freshly made treats, Hershey’s Ice Cream, Brooklyn bagels and many others, there is something for everyone who walks through the door.
Students can pick to sit inside or outside — the inside feels like a homey living room, or relaxing kitchen, with mismatched tables and chairs decorating the space, while art and posters are up on the walls. There are also board games open for anyone to play. The welcoming decor was based on owner Cam Brisard’s background as an antique dealer and they wanted “something different; like you’re sitting at the kitchen table having something to eat.”
Cam and her husband, Tory Brisard, opened their doors during the summer of 2019 after three years of looking for a storefront. They settled on 1 Madbury Rd because they wanted a location that was “bright, friendly and cheerful,” according to Troy.
The couple wanted to be located in Durham because most of their children went through the Oyster River School system, one daughter graduated from UNH in 2017 and their twin daughters are currently at UNH. According to Troy, the twins help out when they can and the two younger boys help out after school and sports, making Baker’s Corner a fully family-owned and operated business.
“It’s been really fun working with my family,” junior mathematics major Sophie Brisard said. “We have had so much support from locals and students and keep getting discovered by people every day.”
“Baker’s Corner is truly a family business,” said Abby Brisard, a junior biomedical science major and Sophie’s twin sister. “Everyone in the family helps out and we all love it! It’s great to walk downtown and see your family whenever you want. Everyone in town has been so supportive and we’re starting to get the hang of things.”
This is the Brisard’s first storefront business, although Cam has had practice since 2013 making treats with her business Fantastic Fortune Cookies, which makes gourmet fortune cookies that ship out all over the United States.
Everything in the shop from the raspberry squares, muffins, apple cider donuts and the giant rice crispy treats, are made by Cam in the same warehouse she makes her fortune cookies. Troy says that Cam is “picky on product” and wants to make sure everything is displayed correctly and tastes perfect for their customers. The only things that are purchased are the bagels, which are shipped in from Brooklyn. The couple wanted their store to have a variety of sweets and be affordable to all students on campus.
“Having children as students at UNH, everyone’s on a budget. We wanted to make [the prices] reasonable so people could come in, get a coffee, get a bagel or bagel sandwich at a reasonable price,” said Troy.
Along with having many pastries and breakfast sandwiches to pick from, Troy and Cam believe their store is special because of their ability to deliver and have parents send care packages to their stressed-out students.
“Their raspberry squares are amazing and they’ve done a good job of expanding their options without getting too crazy,” senior mathematics major Frankie Ritter said.
Bakers Corner also has a build-your-own breakfast option, pastries, or cookie platters available for office or group meetings, family functions, or even U-Day tables. One club, Save the Children Action Network, used Baker’s Corner cookies to draw people to their booth.
Since Baker’s Corner is still new, Tory and Cam want students and community members to leave suggestions on what they should add. This way, they can get a feeling of what’s working, not working, and what students want more of. Troy explained that they are expanding on their breakfast sandwich line and are currently working on a lunch sandwich line, coming in the near fall.
“The students have just been wonderful. Once a group finds us then they just spread the word and they’ve been extremely loyal. We have people who come in on a daily basis or every other day,” Troy said. “If someone just wants to come in and hang out and do homework or anything, then we want that as well.”
Baker’s Corner is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day and is located at 1 Madbury Rd. For inquiries on deliveries or platters call 603-397-5047 or message them at Baker’s Corner Durham on Facebook.
