Less than 30 seconds after Jason Clark flipped the sign to open early Wednesday morning, Fern and Forest Baking’s first customer was already walking through the door.
“I’ve heard great things about this place,” a woman said as she scanned the cases of baked goods.
Minutes later, a dozen people crowded the bakery. A week after its grand opening, Fern and Forest has been bustling. It sold out of its morning menu in less than three hours on Saturday and has already hired two more employees to meet demand.
“It’s far exceeded my business plan,” owner Cheryl Clark said. “Everybody has been very kind around here. I couldn’t be happier, really.”
The business fills an empty storefront in Presque Isle’s downtown and follows the opening of several other bakeries and cafe-bakeries across the state in recent months, including one in Fort Fairfield and others along the midcoast.
Clark and her husband, Jason, moved to the Presque Isle area from Houston a year ago. She has been baking professionally for about 25 years, primarily custom cakes, but decided it was time to try something new.
“We could see that there needed to be a bakery in this area, an independent bakery,” Clark said. “There’s a lot of really good cafe bakeries, a lot of really good cottage bakers, but we just wanted to bring something different.”
Located at 631 Main St. in Presque Isle’s downtown, the bakery offers two menus, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. The first is filled with breakfast staples: bagels, pastries, muffins and kolaches. The second features cakes, cookies and other dessert items.
Fern and Forest also sells freshly baked bread. Clark’s almond croissants have been the No. 1 seller.
“Everything’s made in house every single day,” she said. “It’s a lot of work. It’s a labor of love, but we enjoy it.”
The menus will change every two weeks, keeping what’s popular and switching out other items, Clark said.
The bakery is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Clark hopes the additional staff she’s brought on will allow her to open on another day.
The name and theme for the bakery came from the Clarks’ love for the outdoors. “Plus, I love alliteration,” Cheryl Clark said.
Deep forest greens adorn the walls of the space, which was formerly home to Gene’s Electronics, including a wall mural painted by a local artist. Renovations to the property came together in about three months.
“We just want to be part of the community,” Clark said. “It’s a tiny town, and everybody knows each other and nobody really knows us yet, so I’m hoping that it’ll be a positive thing and that people will enjoy having us here, even though we’re from away.”
