Last weekend we started our retail space at 331 Cortland. It is an interesting setup for Sour Flour, because although I am working here 6 days a week, there is no bread to sell on most days. Until we build up our customer base, we are focusing all baking labor on just 2 days, Thursday and Saturday, and trying to make sure we sell out of our 24 loaves we are baking on each of those two days.
What is great about the space is that it finally gives Sour Flour a home to easily communicate with customers. We have setup a Bread Education list, and have already gotten sign-ups from 16 people. We also have been giving away free flour that was donated to us from the Free Farm Stand, and talking to people about how they can bake bread at home.
Although there is plenty of time to interact with customers who are buying treats from Wholesome Bakery, drinks from Dezy’s Drinks,or samples of fresh frozen Sour Flour Bread, there is also times when no customers are around. At first I started practicing simply sitting and working on my posture, but here on my 4th day, I finally brought a book. I finished reading Deeply Rooted, which I enjoyed, but realize that I will have much time over the next several months. Considering I have been wanting to do more writing, and been struggling with how to communicate with so many people in the Sour Flour Community, this seems like the perfect place to work on it.
Part of the reason I have had trouble writing recently is because it has been a bit overwhelming with how much is changing. Having found a commercial oven to use at La Victoria, having setup a retail space to sell out of at 331 Cortland, and having secured our first investment to have cash flow, we are now officially in Phase 2. But, although we are in a drastically different place than we were just a month and a half ago, I don’t want to lose sight of our earlier plans. Over the next several days, I hope to spell out more clearly each part of the Sour Flour Plan that was drafted last December.