News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Angeline Rhett, left, celebrates 10 years in business with employee Leigh Moehnke.
Ten years ago, Angeline Rhett could be found strolling through Sisters with a lunch cart, offering fresh, nutritious lunches for business people and visitors in town.
It was the start of something big - though it didn't seem like it at the time. This week, she's celebrating 10 years in business in Sisters, and Angeline's Bakery & Café is a thriving eatery and music venue.
Angeline was working three jobs and was broke when she stated working out of the Northern Lights Bakery at 121 W. Main Ave. Soon, she was running the bakery, which the owner eventually sold to her for the cost of his equipment. She changed the name to Angeline's and was off and running.
She thought she'd have a quiet occupation that would give her plenty of time to hang out behind the counter and pursue hobbies.
"I actually thought I'd learn to play the banjo and learn how to knit," she recalled.
Instead, business took off - and it hasn't stopped rolling since.
In 2000, she remodeled the bakery - against the advice of business consultants who said the "back street" location could never support a larger business.
Angeline's started hosting summer music events each week, which quickly became a coveted gig for local bands and a regular stopover for touring folk acts.
"We had people here from the get-go," she said.
Angeline says she was surprised at the depth of experience offered by owning her own business. There's the baking, of course, and the book work - but most of all she values the relationships with her employees and with the broader community.
She said she has worked with "so many cool people" and says that "I couldn't do the things I do without the most amazing staff."
Angeline has opened a new gluten-free bakery in Portland and is musing about the possibilities for expansion in Sisters. The business that she plunged into 10 years ago has taken her a long way - and she's enjoyed the journey.
"I'm just thankful," she said. "I love my job. I love my little bakery."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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