(From left) The owners of JJ's Makery, sisters Jessie Williams and Jackie Holsinger (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Over the years, sisters Jessie Williams and Jackie Holsinger have had plenty of "What if?" conversations about opening a bakery.
When the two were growing up, tasting buttercream and building cakes was the norm, their mother operating a cake decorating business out of the family's home kitchen for 25 years. “We were always surrounded by cake,” says Holsinger, 36.
Soon, their pie-in-the-sky visions will become a reality. On Oct. 30, the duo will debut JJ’s Makery at 2707 E. Marshall St. in Church Hill, taking over the former WPA Bakery space.
“This was always the dream. I never really considered going into business by myself,” Holsinger says. “We’re kind of continuing what our mom started.”
The duo had been working for WPA Bakery, and when owner David Rohrer mentioned earlier this year that he wanted to downsize and terminate his lease at the Church Hill bakery and shift operations solely to the Forest Hill Avenue location, it felt like fate.
“This opportunity fell into our laps, and we thought, we should probably jump on it,” says Williams, 34.
Rohrer, who opened the original WPA location in 2012 with former owner Kendra Feather — the restaurateur behind Laura Lee’s, Garnett’s Cafe and The Roosevelt who also founded Ipanema Cafe — followed by the South Side bakery in 2016, says that it feels like the passing of a torch.
“I’m excited to give my employees a good chance,” he says.
In addition to allowing the sister bakers to flourish on their own, the move allows Rohrer to home in on one venture and expand the hours and options at the South Side location.
“We just want to come out as strong as possible, and I want to be able to focus on one [business], and the South Side location is a lot bigger,” he says, noting that since owning two locations, he’s been spread thin. “When I made the decision it felt like a weight off my shoulders. I’m really looking forward to moving forward like this.”
For Williams and Holsinger, transitioning from bakery staffers to bakery owners feels like a natural progression after years of momentum. An avid cello player, Williams' baking journey began with a popular chain when she was 19.
“I started at Dunkin’ Donuts,” she says. “That was my first overnight baking job, that’s what I did from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.”
A night owl, Williams was hooked. After 15 years in the industry, her resume includes stints at the local chain Williams Bakery, along with The Mixing Bowl, Pearl’s Bake Shoppe and Baker’s Kitchen. Holsinger, who admits she still has a weakness for icing, previously ran a cake decorating business and joined the WPA team over a year ago.
Although they plan to start slowly in building their budding baking business, Williams and Holsinger say community outreach is important, and they plan to offer a bread donation program. They will also partner with local purveyors, source milk and cream from Richland Dairy & Creamery out of Blackstone, and serve Counter Culture Coffee.
Customers at JJ's Makery can expect baked goods from English muffins to quiches and danishes, along with rotating morning specials such as cinnamon-sugar biscuits and doughnuts.
As for the approaching holidays, Williams, who has baked thousands of pies and is familiar with large-scale production, says confidently, "I'm pretty sure we can handle it," noting they'll offer a limited selection of seasonal specials.
Her sister chimes in cheerfully, "If we can make it through that, we can make it through anything."
JJ’s Makery will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
