LAKELAND, Fla. -- People often stand in line outside in the blistering summer heat just to get inside of a fairly new bakery in Lakeland.
- Lakeland bakery draws hundreds of people
- Born and Bread Bakehouse is only open on Saturdays
- The bakery serves European-style bread, croissants
It's called Born and Bread Bakehouse, and it is owned by Jennifer Smurr.
The bakery is open to the public only on Saturday mornings, but Smurr and her team work on the baked goods all week long.
Born and Bread is known for its sourdough bread, its cruffins, which are croissants made in the shape of a muffin, and its croissants. But the bakery also sells breakfast sandwiches, coffee, cakes and cookies.
"I'd say on a given Saturday we probably have 700 to 800 people come through," Smurr said.
Smurr said people come from as far Gainesville and Miami.
"It's good. It's good. It's worth it," said Illandra Rich ,who made the drive from Gainesville.
She said it reminded her of the baked goods she'd eat back in her homeland of South Africa. Rich left with four bags.
Smurr started the bakery three and a half years ago. She had gone to Europe and was fascinated with the bread-making process. She returned and worked as an apprentice with a baker in Miami. From there, she was hooked.
Smurr started selling her baked goods at the farmer's market in downtown Lakeland. She graduated from the farmer's market to a storefront in Lakeland's historic Dixieland about a year ago.
"I think we opened in the right place at the right time and with our constant goal of creating something in excellence and quality, we've created something really amazing in Lakeland," Smurr said.
Smurr called the continuous customer support rewarding. She said social media has played a big role in her success.
With several vacancies in Dixieland, former mayor Howard Wiggs said the bakery is helping to revitalize the area.
"Businesses are realizing Lakeland is a place to come to be successful and this is just another example of that," said Wiggs, who also founded the organization, Love Lakeland. "Dixieland needs a shot in the arm. You and I both know and the community knows that there's some vacancies in Dixieland right now. So to see a successful operation, successful storefront encourages other folks to say I can be successful here too."
With business booming, Smurr said in the future she'd like to be open more days of the week.
For now, she opens her doors from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday.