These Stayton folks claim to “bake the world a sweeter place.”
After 30 years, Lovin Oven owners Val and Mike Shultz and crew have outgrown their Third Avenue location and now serve their cakes and other goodies with coffee and conversation at their new Ida Street location.
“We now have indoor seating, so come down and bring your friends for a sweet treat,” invited Mike Shultz, who also owns half of the well-known Salem “cakery,” Gerry Frank’s Konditorei.
The Lovin Oven also provides cakes, cheesecakes and other desserts to many area restaurants, local events, and for weddings, birthdays and other celebrations. With extra space and a few more employees, this side of the business will be easier to handle, according to Shultz.
“Our first week inside our new location was amazing,” he said. “We love all the extra room and the chit chatter of friends talking over a cup of coffee and dessert!”
Shultz said almost 300 customers came to check out the new digs at The Lovin Oven’s soft-opening on Nov. 11 and business remains brisk.
“People love the building,” Shultz said. “We’ve given Lovin Oven a new design – stepping up to the plate a bit. There has been so much positive feedback coming from our customers.”
Crystal Spenner told Shultz, “Your new location is so beautiful.” Her treat choice? Caramel apple cheesecake.
Dave Shelton called Lovin Oven’s new store “a great addition to downtown Stayton!”
When the couple bought the building nearly two years ago, they had been looking forward to getting a bigger place.
“We were holding off to see what the economy would do,” Shultz said, referring to COVID-19 challenges. “There were 13 people working in a 1,700-square-foot building. My customers were standing outside, rain or shine. We finally decided we had to have something bigger.”
The new Ida Street location offers 5,600 square feet, almost three times the size of the Third Avenue bakery. The new building also comes with plenty of seating, more accommodations, and three display cases, which, Shultz said, will be a lot more work to keep filled with the baked goods customers love.
“It allows us room that we’ve needed for a long time,” he said. “It’s going to allow us to be more efficient. We just have a few hiccups to work out such as adjusting our work flow to the size of our building.”
Shultz still uses equipment in the smaller store, including oven, dishwasher and freezer cases. He plans to keep the original site for now, he said.
Shultz plans to add items to the menu in the very near future, including the fan-favorite cinnamon rolls. For drinks, espresso drinks and lemonades are in the works. Ice tea is also available for non-coffee drinkers.
A “grand opening” will be held at the new site in January.
“Val and I have been so blessed to be a part of this community,” Shultz said. “There are a lot of memories in the other building, but we can better serve our customers here.”
The Lovin Oven is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and may open on Saturdays after the holidays. For special hours at Christmas, visit theirFacebook page. For more information, call 503-769-5538.
