When Karen Broyer franchised a Barbero’s Bakery in Robbinsville in November 2010, she knew that she was following the right career path.
After working in managerial positions for several newspapers, Broyer started with Barbero’s six years ago and had been with the business since then.
Early this year, though, Barbero’s went out of business. In February, she officially opened Hometown Bakery.
The bakery provides both sweet and savory treats. It sells several types of breads, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, donuts and pastries. Sandwiches and sides are also available.
Since Barbero’s is now completely defunct, Hometown had to look elsewhere for its baked goods. Broyer said that all of the products come from bakeries in the area, including businesses in Yardley, Lawrence and even in Robbinsville. The bakery receives daily shipments of almost all of its bread, cakes, cupcakes and more.
“We try to keep everything as fresh and as local as possible,” she said. “We like to help keep other businesses going.”
While there is no baking done on the premises, Broyer said that it’s a future goal.
“We just don’t have the right setup,” she said. “It’s an old building. “
Broyer said that she formed relationships with many of the bakeries that provide goods to Hometown during her time with Barbero’s. Making these connections over the last several years helped her get what she needed to jumpstart her own business.
One thing that has remained the same throughout the transition from Barbero’s to Hometown is Broyer’s style. She said that she is in the store nearly every day, and her time there goes unpaid. She said she does this to keep her employees earning their money.
“Every worker was here when it was Barbero’s,” she said. “Every single one of them is so friendly. I would never make them do something that I wouldn’t or couldn’t do myself.”
Although Hometown has only been its own entity for about six months, Broyer said that she knows many customers by name, which is something she strives for.
“I want people to know that we have what they want,” she said.
She said the bakery began preparing lunch meat roll-ups, which are essentially sandwiches without bread, for a customer who wanted to cut bread out of his diet. They are now a regular menu item.
She said a diabetic customer came in to Hometown in search of sugar-free goods. While “sugar-free” and “bakery” seem like two terms that don’t belong anywhere near each other, Broyer is highly interested in combining the two. “I had gastric bypass surgery, so I can’t eat sugar,” she said. “I like convincing people to try sugar-free products. It’s a world of fun.”
One of the main sugar-free items on the menu is the DaVinci coffee flavoring the bakery supplies. Broyer said these products use flavors such as pineapple and coconut as a sugar replacement.
They have also been working on acquiring baked goods made without sugar. Recently, Broyer even made a customer French toast using sugar-free cinnamon.
The variety of the products that Hometown Bakery offers allows the customers to meet their exact needs. If something isn’t on the menu, Broyer said to just ask.
“I love giving samples, seeing kids point out things they want,” she said. “They’re great. They want good food, good value. I just get a charge from seeing the customers enjoy our products. I just really love this.”
Hometown Bakery is located on 19 Main Street in Robbinsville. Phone: (609) 223-2424.
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