Myle's Baker Street
Business: Short Feature
As you walk into Myles Baker Street, you immediately feel at home. The smells of fruity pastries, chocolate chunk cookies, and blended coffees fill the air. Your eyes go to the glass cases full of myriad goodies, and you hear yourself saying, “I want that one…no that one…” Adding to the welcome feeling are tables and chairs where you can relax with a treat and a drink and read a newspaper or talk with friends.
Myles Baker Street was opened in September, 2006 by Meredith Myles-Valle and Abraham Valle. The bakery adds to the list of Bowling Green businesses owned by Myles family members. Prior to the bakery the list already included a Dairy Queen, the Myles Pizza Pub and Sub Shop, and Myles Flowers.
The Myles family has been a part of Bowling Green since 1962. Chip Myles, Meredith’s father, still owns and operates the first business he opened, the Dairy Queen, and he also owns the Pizza Pub and Sub Shop. Meredith's grandmother, at over 80 years old, runs the floral shop which was the very first Myles owned business.
In opening Myles Baker Street Meredith brought together two of her interests, art and pastries. With a culinary degree from the French Pastry School, she also holds a bachelors degree and a masters degree in art from the Art Institute of Chicago.
The presentation and layout of the store was actually done as part of her master's thesis project. The wallpaper and flooring in the store are Meredith's original designs. The wallpaper cleverly uses yellow cake with chocolate frosting to make a brick motif, and the floor is patterned from sugar cookies.
All of the baked goods and other food offerings are made fresh from scratch in the store. The offerings change regularly as Meredith and her staff try new items. She says she is always looking for unusual flavor combinations to surprise and pique the interest of her customers. And, as she says, so no one, including herself, gets "bored".
At anytime though, regular offerings include selections of scones, cookies, tarts, quiche and muffins. Also available are petit fours (bite sized pastries) and tarts, and cakes can be made for any special occasion. Meredith also has her own line of hand-dipped chocolates, made from european chocolate. Beverages include teas, real hot chocolate and blended coffee drinks.
Everything in Myles Baker Street is custom and artfully made - right down to the floor. As Meredith says, "it comes down to I'm making my product here, and most people aren't any more. You can always tell the difference when something's made from scratch."