Interview with Roberta Lott and Karin Murray, owners
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: Karin and I decided that cubicle living was depleting our souls, so we decided to follow a dream. For Karin, it was baking — the love of all things baked. For Roberta, it was owning her own business, where creativity and ideas rule.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: We are an Americana small-batch bakery. In a local community filled with tasty ethnic treats from Italian cannolis to Cuban coquitos, we wanted to bring back the good ol’ apple pie, or that warm-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie. We also wanted to provide our community with custom birthday, special event and wedding cakes. We pride ourselves in being a huge supporter of the community, giving back through our Tips for Teachers program, as well as being a suspended coffee supporter.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: Freedom to provide the kind of customer service that we would like to experience when we frequent other establishments. Everyone is in such a hurry these days, not many take the time to just sit and talk over a cup of coffee anymore. We love the thought of people just coming to sit and “be” in a space we created for them.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: For us, the biggest challenge has been to actually get up and going. There are many steps in opening a new business and then on top of everything, we experienced the heartache of being taken advantage of by a fraudulent contractor, so having to switch gears and hire someone new, and wait longer to open, is just heartache. But it is all worth it.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: Our uniforms are made up of really funny shirts that each employee picks. We use Solar Roast Coffee out of Pueblo, a roaster that uses organic coffee roasted by solar panels. All our coffee grounds go to True Roots Farm, just a block and a half down from our shop, where we in turn reap the benefits of having locally-grown veggies for our recipes.
Profile
Business: KareBear Bakery
Address: 6150 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge
Hours: 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Founded: 2013
Contact: 720-638-3649,
Employees: 4
