There are many ways a family-owned bakery could celebrate its 50-year anniversary, but Concannon's Pastry Shop plans to do so by doubling its operation next year.
Mike Concannon, third-generation owner of the downtown staple, spoke on the shop's behalf at Monday's Muncie City Council meeting during which multiple resolutions were passed to approve construction of the shop's second location. Concannon's will open its newest site on the corner of North Morrison Road and New Bethel Avenue - or "Baker Lane," as the street will be renamed - in February next year, approximately 50 years after his grandfather and father debuted the business in 1959.
"This is huge," Concannon said. "We've added on quite a bit since 2001 - doubling our facilities and probably tripling the employees we have, and we're about to double everything on top of that."
Ever since taking over for his retired father in 1998, Concannon and his wife have looked toward the bakery's expansion. They've done so successfully, dropping off goods to more than 50 stops throughout the area and as far as Chicago. Perhaps their best customer, however, remains Ball State University.
"We actually take several pastries over to Ball State on a daily basis," Concannon said. "We drop them off at five different locations - all the dorms, the Cardinal Crossing, the UBC [University Banquet and Catering] and right now, all the new students coming in [for orientation] get doughnuts."
Students also regularly visit the shop, Concannon said, and he expects his volume of college customers to grow drastically when the new 6,400-square-foot location opens near off-campus housing complexes this winter.
The opening of the newest operation also serves as a pivotal contribution to the slumping Muncie job market, he said. Concannon's has approximately 80 employees. He said he expected that number to nearly double as a result of the expansion.
"When you look at these numbers, we are talking about creating jobs, and I'm not kidding about that," Concannon said. "I would never be able to tackle this without the people who work for us."
Among those currently employed at Concannon's are five Ball State students, and Concannon said he hoped to increase that number by next year.
"We're looking for a lot of Ball State students to come work for us starting in January before we open [the new location] in February," he said. "We're hoping we can attract a lot of individuals over there to be coffee baristas, wait on customers and even help in the bakery. It's an excellent part-time job for Ball State students."
Some City Council representatives praised Concannon's for multiple levels of community involvement.
"I'd personally like to say thank you, and I am very excited for your business," councilor-at-large Alison Quirk said. "I think you must be a very good employer because I've known you to have the same people working there for a long period of time."
Fourth District representative Mary Jo Barton said she also appreciated the business.
"Every time I have anyone in town, I make point to take them down to [Concannon's]," she said.
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