OREGON – It has only been a year, but the Village Bakery has already become a solid favorite in Oregon.
It is a place to enjoy a sweet treat and a coffee while catching up with friends in a comfortable environment.
Brion Brooks, executive director of the Village of Progress – which operates the bakery – sat down to answer some questions about the first year.
Question: Overall, how has the first year of the Village Bakery been?
Answer: Rewarding. When we first thought about opening a business that would employ people with intellectual disabilities we did a quick web search. As it turns out, we found several businesses across the country that had the same idea, but their approach was different. In those businesses virtually all the employees, except the supervisors, have disabilities. We wanted to do things differently. We wanted to create a business where people with disabilities would work shoulder to shoulder with peers who don’t have disabilities. In fact, our goal has been to limit those with disabilities to about a quarter of our workforce. The reason is simple – we want them to experience what it’s like working in the ‘real world.’ And in the real world, most don’t have a developmental disability.
A second goal was that everyone who works at the Bakery would share the different tasks. That means that people with disabilities would not be relegated to carting trash and washing dishes. On any given day, you’ll find people with disabilities scooping cookie dough, loading trays with baked goods, serving customers, and in some cases working the cash registers, just like the rest of the staff.
It’s been rewarding to see how these two goals have been largely met during our first year of operation.
Q: What has been the biggest surprise?
A: There were so many surprises this first year it’s hard to know which one was biggest. But let me give you a few examples.
One decision we made early on is that everyone who works for the Bakery has to pass the State’s food handler’s test. While we were still a few weeks before opening, I was doing some work in the bakery as one of our women was watching the food handler’s training video. As I was listening in with one ear I was thinking, “Boy, this test might be a little harder than I thought; what if none of our people can pass it?” Well, about a half hour later I saw the young woman as she was getting ready to leave and asked how she did. “I aced it!” she said. And that’s when it dawned on me. When was the last time this young woman had taken a test intended for the general public… and aced it? What does that do for her sense of self-esteem? Then I watched as she got into the car and talked to her dad. I watched as they gave each other a high five. And I asked myself, “How might her accomplishment today change her dad’s confidence in her?” And then I imagined when they got home and she’d tell the news to her mom. One seemingly small act with such a huge ripple effect.
Another encounter happened this past spring. A Rockford middle school special education class took a field trip to the Village Bakery. Their teacher told me she wanted to give her class hope that they could get jobs after they leave school. Three of our staff with special needs met with them and talk about the work they do at the bakery and what they liked best about it. Our three folks became rock stars in those kid’s eyes. After the tour, several of the student asked if they could work here, and we told them they might when they get a little older. As I stood by the door while they were leaving, one of the kids turned to me and said, “You keep this place open!” It simultaneously made my day and broke my heart. Students in special education classes are starving for the chance to get jobs and just be part of the community. But the opportunities are so scarce.
Q: The public seems to have embraced the business. What kind of feedback have you heard?
A: Whenever you launch a project like this you just don’t know for sure how the public will react, right? When we created the Bakery, we wanted it to be a space that was warm and inviting. A place that fostered people getting together for conversation. I think we’ve accomplished that.
I’ve also had several parents of special needs children talk about how they love seeing a place that gives them and their child hope for the future. Sometimes they get pretty emotional, imagining their own child someday with a job that’s both in the community and supported by the community.
Operationally, the first year was a time of constant tweaking. At first, we kept the Bakery open for something like 11 hours a day, seven days a week. That was just crazy. Eventually we honed down the hours and I think we’ve got it pretty well dialed in. We’ve expanded our menu a little over time, too. In the fall, we introduced soups which were well received. Then in the spring we started serving panini-style sandwiches. Last month we added catering, which I think will become quite popular.
Q: Are there plans to expand on this business concept?
A: We decided upon the idea of a bakery because of a few unique factors that came together. First, and most important, a bakery or café is a type of business where the public and the staff regularly interact. That’s important for us, and for the men and women we serve. It’s important because our folks benefit from knowing the public is interested in what they’re doing. And it’s important because the public gets to know our folks for the unique personalities and individuals that they are.
A second factor that led us toward a bakery is that there weren’t any other old fashioned stand-alone bakeries in the area. Oregon and Mount Morris had a long history of being served by bakeries, but that history died out several years ago. So, in that way, we felt we were filling a niche in the community; something that people were eager to see again.
So, if you’re asking whether we plan to expand the Village Bakery into other cities, the answer for now, at least, is no. The factors allowing the bakery to work in Oregon were rather unique to this area.
But if you’re asking whether we’re on the lookout to use the same concept of integrated employment in other types of work, the answer is absolutely. We’ve always got our eyes open.
Q: How are the workers enjoying the job?
A: One of the best things about seeing the Bakery in operation is watching the relationship between the staff. From what I’ve seen, all the staff show respect to each other. They have great camaraderie. And I think that shows in how we interact with our customers, as well. People have often told me that there’s just a different feel about the Village Bakery than many other places they visit.
Q: Anything else you would like to share about the first year of the bakery?
A: I’ve often joked that if the Village Bakery succeeds, it’ll mark the most important thing I’ve done in my professional life; and if it doesn’t, it’ll be the most important thing I tried! In all seriousness, though, it has been gratifying to see how the Bakery has become a place where people of all abilities come together. Building the Bakery was a big leap of faith for the Village of Progress, but it’s become a source of hope and self-confidence to so many in just the first year. This community has been incredible.