After recently getting married, Tom and Christine Klotz of Hudsonville purchased Chimoski Bakery, which will now be called Unsalted Mitten. The papers were signed and the bakery officially sold on Dec. 1.
“We are keeping the bakery the same. We are going to add an espresso machine and do lattes. Toasted bagels and more,” Klotz said.
After 40 years of marriage, with kids all grown up, Tom and Christine reconnected three months ago and got married.
Tom and Christine came up to Leelanau for their honeymoon and had been to the area a couple of times before, and came across the for-sale sign next to Chimoski Bakery.
“We came in and had a little talk, did some praying,” Tom said.
And now they are bakery owners.
They are both from the Ludington area and graduated in the 80s. Christine was best friends with Tom’s sister, “and I’ve had a crush on her ever since.”
Tom worked in the printing industry for 32 years, including at Fuji Film Graphic Systems and other color measurement systems. Tom owned a Biggby coffee store for 13 years in a previous life, and will bring some of those skills with him, without the corporatization of a franchise.
Christine was burnt out from being a hospice nurse, and Tom was recently semi-retired, working at Lowe’s.
“We both have an entrepreneurial spirit, and we’ve always both wanted a cafe,” Tom said.
The newlyweds even brought up a food trailer as a possible mobile option if they can find a proper place to operate.
“We have a lot of ideas, but we need to focus on the bakery for six months, and then we can think about it,” Christine said.
Unsalted Mitten would like to add a quality hot chocolate to the menu, including matcha and chai tea, along with mastering the pies, as one of Chimoski’s most traditional best sellers.
Tina Baker, former owner of the well-beloved Chimoski Bakery, said she turned 65 in August and was ready to retire after being in business since July 2011. She will still be baking delicious treats, but it will be from the comfort of her home going forward.
“I’m still getting used to it (retirement),” Baker said. “It’s very exciting, I’ve been looking forward to it. It’s mostly so I can sleep-in in the morning after 14 years of getting up at 3:30 a.m…. Now I can actually bake from home, which I have not done in many years.”
Baker said one of the best parts about operating the business after so many years has been interacting with the customers, which is something she will miss in retirement.
“I’m really going to miss the people,” Baker said. “It was my dream for a lot of years to have a grandma bakery, and a lot of recipes are from my grandma.”
Baker said the couple plan to keep up a lot of the same offerings as Chimoski’s like cookies, donuts, and pies, with some new additions mixed in as well. Aside from being able to sleepin and spending time with family and grandchildren in her retirement, Baker said she’s looking forward to focusing more on hobbies like her sewing and embroidery work, adding that she hopes to do a few local craft shows next year.
Tom and Christine are looking to expand into other coffee shops and businesses in the area, while filling a few positions in the meantime.
Unsalted Mitten will serve a coffee brand called “Weave” that has a remarkable legacy blend specifically to “continue the legacy of Chimoski Bakery,” which includes locally sourced cocoa beans from Brazil.
“We want to continue the legacy. We got permission to keep the ‘Chimoski Bakery’ little window sticker that’s been there forever. We don’t want to change,” Christine said.
Tom is happy to be out of Biggby and said he would never do a franchise again. He enjoyed the first 10 years, but not the last 2-3 years when the COVID pandemic struck.
“It’s just 9-10% of everything you make goes to them,” he said.
Tom and Christine bought Chimoski Bakery for over $400,000 on a land contract.
