Keeping it shipshape for three decades at Shaffer House Bakery

By Arie Kirk

October 27, 2008 | After the atomic bomb was dropped in Japan, Don Shaffer was shipped to the Marshall Islands on the U.S.S. New Jersey. He and his fellow sailors weren't doing much so when they needed someone to volunteer as a baker, he said yes.

Shaffer had to throw his first loaf of bread in the ocean it was so bad. After that, he said he "didn't really learn much" and had to experiment with the ingredients on his own. Then, one day, Shaffer got it right.

He said someone told him, "This is the best bread I've ever had and I don't mean in the Navy. I mean anywhere."

With one loaf of bread thrown overboard a U.S. Navy ship, a Logan bakery was born. Now, after 31 years of business, Shaffer House Bakery makes nearly 1,000 doughnuts every business day. Four hours after opening, more than half of them have been sold.

On a quiet block off 1000 N. Main Street, Shaffer's Bakery is a rarity in a world of fast-paced, processed foods. The bakery offers dozens of products made from scratch, using the same recipes that were in use when it opened in 1978. Shaffer House Bakery is now in its third generation of ownership and could not be more family or customer oriented.

The racks and display cases at Shaffer House Bakery overflow with products­ loaves of hot bread, freshly glazed doughnuts, fruity Danishes, ribbon-strewn cakes and cinnamon rolls dripping with frosting, the smells of which hit customers in the parking lot.

Camie Holden, Shaffer's granddaughter who now owns the business with her husband, said the work at Shaffer House Bakery begins long before the doors open at 5 a.m. At 11 p.m. two bakers start to cook, beginning with doughnuts­ mixing, cutting, proofing, frying and then icing at 3 a.m. The bakers make about 80 dozen doughnuts a day, 1,152 cakes and brownies per week, and 500 to 1,000 éclairs per week, among other things.

With products like these, Shaffer's success is obvious and in a time of big box stores and chain restaurants, Shaffer said there are a few things that have helped his small town business stay afloat­ ingredients, cooking techniques, customer service and their customer base.

The biggest advantages are the ingredients and the fact that everything is made from scratch. Shaffer boasted the best quality of ingredients included in the products, and even some ingredients excluded. Shaffer said they don't use mold inhibiters in bread. Shaffer's bread molds in a week unlike Wonder Bread, Shaffer said, which can stay good much longer. He said not using mold inhibiters gives the bread a better flavor.

Of the acclaimed maple bar sold at Shaffer House Bakery, Shaffer said there really is nothing special to it.

"We just make them like we are suppose to," he said.

Camie said the only real secret is that they are made from scratch with butter cream, something also made from scratch a few times a week in 75 to 80 pound batches.

Shaffer said customer service is something else that has kept the family operated business going. Shaffer said he started the bakery on his reputation and the service he had offered to patrons at previous places of employment like Albertsons. He can still remember serving Alice Chase, wife of former Utah State University president Daryl Chase.

"I'd go all out to do anything she wanted. She always thought it was just perfect," he said. "Things like that makes it."

"Since then," he added, "I tried to do anything anybody wanted me to."

Tony Holden, Camie's husband, said that tradition of such customer service is continuing. When "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" was in Logan in the fall of 2006, Tony said the crew would order dozens of raspberry cream maple bars every day, mostly for designer Ed Sanders.

"He fell in love with maple bars," Tony said. "He probably overdosed on them." Camie, who grew up working in the bakery, said, "I think the reason we are still in business is our quality. We bake everything from scratch," Camie said. "We are a full-service bakery."

Camie said their customer base, wholesale and retail, has also been key to remaining a competitive business­ supplying bread for places like Fredrico's Pizza, the Italian Place, Logan's Heros and Logan Regional Hospital.

Tony said he thinks Shaffer House Bakery's biggest competition is the grocery store but that he isn't really worried. People go to Shaffer's because they know what they are looking for, he said. Whereas, in a grocery store, shoppers just happen to pick up a loaf of bread or a dozen doughnuts. Even specialty businesses, like Tommie's Donuts, haven't been able to keep up. Again, Tony credited his bakery's success to quality and customer service. For returning customers, it is to the point that they rarely have to order vocally.

"They, the girls, they can pretty much know what the customers are going to get before they get in here," he said.

After returning from the war, Shaffer held a series of jobs at bakeries until he settled down to start his own in the 1970s. Shaffer said he had enjoyed the time he spent baking and serving customers at his places of employment so decided to go into business for himself.

"One thing about it is an eight-hour shift in a bakery seems about two hours. You don't have enough time," Shaffer said. "You stay busy and have fun doing it. It just makes a good day."

In 1978, Shaffer said he opened Shaffer House Bakery in a remodeled cabinet shop located in Providence. Shaffer said people thought he was "nuts" for starting his business in such a remote location but the bakery took off. For many years, the bakery was also located in Macey's. In the 1980s, Shaffer House Bakery moved to its current location on Main Street in what once was Jack's Tire and Oil. The arched windows, framed by white bricks, are where cars once pulled in for tune-ups.

After passing the bakery onto his son, Shaffer's went through the hands of one other owner before coming back to Camie and Tony. As for the future of the business, Tony laughingly said he hopes none of his children take over the bakery because of the demanding hours around the holidays. While Tony loves baking, he said it can be hectic and he doesn't know if he would want to see his children work so long and hard. None of Tony and Camie's children are currently dreaming of following in their footsteps, but as a kid, Tony said he didn't dream of being a baker either.

"Being a senior in high school, I never thought that my life would be being a baker," he said. "But it's almost a dream­ all the different options you have owning your own business."

Tony also said it is important to him to continue honoring the Shaffer name and their tradition of hard work, dedication and service. Speaking of his predecessors, Tony said, "You can't go to school and learn the stuff they've taught me."

Camie said she also hopes the business will be able to continue its edge against competition while keeping it in the family. She said there could be someone in the extended family who could take over when she and Tony are done but she would be sad if it did not stay with Shaffer descendants.

"We are one of the only full service bakeries left in town. We are a hometown bakery that started here and we're still here 31 years later," she said. "We will keep trying to provide customers with great service and great products."

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