Owner: 'It's about the little things we can do for people'
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Paula Beilfuss, one of the owners of Three Girls Bakery in downtown Big Rapids, said she loves being able to bring a smile to her customer's faces every day. (Pioneer photo/Taylor Fussman)
Paula Beilfuss, one of the owners of Three Girls Bakery in downtown Big Rapids, said she loves being able to bring a smile to her customer's faces every day. (Pioneer photo/Taylor Fussman)
Paula Beilfuss, one of the owners of Three Girls Bakery in downtown Big Rapids, said she loves being able to bring a smile to her customer's faces every day. (Pioneer photo/Taylor Fussman)
Paula Beilfuss, one of the owners of Three Girls Bakery in downtown Big Rapids, said she loves being able to bring a smile to her customer's faces every day. (Pioneer photo/Taylor Fussman)
This article is part of Business Buzz, a series designed to feature small businesses that make a big impact on the community. Participants featured will include all the locally-owned businesses that make up the fabric of Big Rapids and the surrounding area.
BIG RAPIDS — From sweet cinnamon rolls to golden brown fruit pies, delicate quiche to tasty breakfast sandwiches, Paula Beilfuss and her children spend their days cooking up a wide variety of treats at Three Girls Bakery.
Originally from Remus, Beilfuss attended business school at Ferris State University. After working for a company for some time, she decided to try her hand at the world of entrepreneurship.
However, she did not immediately plan to open Three Girls Bakery. Instead, Beilfuss was inspired to begin making dog treats by her own dog, Emma, who was allergic to many of the ingredients in common dog treats.
After a great deal of trial and error and applying for proper licensing through the state, Beilfuss began selling dog treats to many different stores and vendors — a business she came to love.
"It was really good," she said. "It was very rewarding, but it was a lot of work."
While growing the dog treat business, Beilfuss and her daughter, Rachel, who attended a baking and pastry school in Chicago, decided to open a small bakery inside Patterson's Flowers in downtown Big Rapids.
Soon outgrowing the space, Beilfuss said about six years ago they officially opened Three Girls Bakery next to Artworks, and they have loved the space ever since.
However, expanding the bakery meant saying goodbye to her beloved dog treat business, but Beilfuss said this was the right move for her family going forward.
"We had to pick one or the other," she said. "We had to do what would be best for our family and for everybody."
Since making this choice, Beilfuss said she has loved operating the bakery and working with her daughter and her son, Brian, who joined the family business and took over the main food portion.
Beilfuss said her favorite part of owning the business has been getting to know the people of the Big Rapids area and seeing their faces every week.
"It's about the little things we can do for people. It's the love and the smiles and the community it builds. This is our family," she said.
Although the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult on Three Girls Bakery, Beilfuss said the support from the other downtown businesses and the community as a whole has kept them going.
"Everybody has had to fight hard to stay here. We gave it all we had and we're still here," she said. "...Things are getting better now and we have always had the support of downtown and the community."
As they continue to rebuild from the difficulties of the past several months, Beilfuss said Three Girls Bakery may have some surprises in store for customers down the road.
"We've got some fun and exciting things coming up," she said. "We don't plan on going anywhere."
Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Phone:
231-796-4822
Address:
106 N Michigan Ave, Big Rapids, MI 49307
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BUSINESS BUZZ: Three Girls Bakery is a 'tasty' staple to community - The Pioneer
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