A Sweet Idea
It was Christmas when Amy Rosen got the idea to open her very own cinnamon bun shop.
“I was at the cottage with extended family and we were sitting around the table, from babies to adults and everyone in between,” said Rosen. “I made fresh baked cinnamon buns and the for the first time all week everyone went quiet. They were all eating the cinnamon buns, and I thought ‘oh my gosh from like a two year old to 70 something to teen, tweens, boys, girls and everyone in between. This is the one thing we can all agree on. Everyone loves cinnamon buns!’”With some encouragement from her family she began researching as soon as she got back from vacation.
Amy is no stranger to food. She is an awarding winning journalist and has written loads on the subject. She also grew up in a house surrounded by food. Her mother was greatly influenced by Julia Child, as well as their Jewish heritage. She credits her upbringing for her love of food.
“I think cinnamon buns kind of has that old school appeal to it,” said Amy. “It’s something a lot of us grew up eating. It’s all natural, so it doesn’t have any preservatives, it’s just dairy, grain and sugar basically.”
Setting Up Shop
While she see’s herself as more of a cook, rather than a baker, Amy took on the challenge of opening her own bakery. Through the help of her sister-in-law, who is good on the numbers end, and some help from a friend in real estate, she found an old hair salon on College Street that would become Amy Rosen’s Cinnamon Buns.
After months of researching the best process that goes into making cinnamon buns, and testing recipes, the doors finally opened.
“We were surprised by the lines of people. We had that initial hit of ‘wow, this was a good idea’” said Amy. “People were really supportive, it was great. We’re also very Instagramable, and the fans just keep coming back.”
The main draw of Amy’s Cinnamon Bun’s is the nostalgic feel you get when you walk in and are hit with the aroma of cinnamon. They bakery pumps out 400 – 500 buns a day, and you can now find them Pusateri’s, and The Cheese Boutique.
Sweet Determination
Amy’s determination to sell her cinnamon buns to the masses has been a great contribution to the success of the bakery. She offers some advice to budding entrepreneurs.
“Just go for it, if you have an idea,” said Amy. “You have to be willing to lose though, so don’t like borrow a bunch of money or get in over your head. But if you can, and if it’s something you’re passionate about, and everyone is saying it’s a good idea, then just take that leap, because you never know what will happen.”
She doesn’t take all the credit herself, giving kudos to her “amazing crew” of bakers. She also credits the nostalgia that comes with the enjoyment of cinnamon buns.
“The thing about cinnamon buns is it’s a process, it takes time, that’s why a lot of people don’t make it at home anymore,” said Amy. “A lot of people associate cinnamon buns with memories. This bakery is really a happy place.”
Originally published on Yellow Pages
