Batavia MainStreet is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a special “Then and Now” series of social media postings where the business advocacy group has been looking at Batavia’s history as well as its present to see how things have changed.
One of its recent postings focused on the downtown landscape and the building at 109 E. Wilson St., which is currently the home of Haylie B’s Bakery.
The store got its start three years ago after being part of MainStreet’s Batavia Boardwalk Shops Incubator Program, where small independent businesses rent spaces with more than half going on to open brick-and-mortar locations of their own.
Beth Walker, executive director of Batavia MainStreet, said the “Then and Now” promotion currently underway has been a learning experience.
“We’ve really loved learning the history of downtown businesses,” she said, adding that highlighting their past and present “helps a community feel more connected to the downtown.”
“We have several buildings that have historic significance that have been around for a long time,” Walker said. “In terms of the newer bakery in this historic building, people love it. Since this was a Boardwalk shop I think there is this feeling of people here in the community being a part of what’s happened since and their being a part of the journey as well.”
According to a press release from the MainStreet group, the building at 109 E. Wilson St. “has a long history as a bakery in downtown Batavia.”
“It was constructed around 1880 and started as a grocery store and butcher, and for a short time, it was home to a plumbing and pipefitting company,” the release said.
In 1917, Peter B. McCabe started a bakery and lived across the street at 118 E. Wilson St., officials said. The longest occupant of the building was Wright’s Bakery, owned and operated by John and Gertrude Wright from 1924 to 1950, the release added.
The owner of the current business there, Haylie Bollweg of Batavia, said opening Haylie B’s Bakery has been a great experience.
“This started out as a hobby outside of high school and learning all the basics in foods class and then I was doing this out of my house for friends and family and I wound up working for a few different bakeries along the way,” Bollweg said. “Then, across the street, the Batavia Boardwalk Shops that opened in the middle of COVID in 2020. I was selected as one of those and took the plunge and the rest is history.”
According to Bollweg’s own knowledge and those of her customers, the building her bakery is in has also been home to an Argentine cafe, a dentist’s office and a yoga studio.
“People mention something to me about this place and what it used to be on a weekly basis. I’ve had people come in and tell me they have worked here before and were patients of the dentist or went to yoga classes here,” Bollweg said. “It’s interesting. I feel like new information keeps unraveling as I’m here.”
She said the business definitely keeps her busy.
“I bake, I decorate, I stock everything, clean dishes, the whole thing,” she said. “Most of my business is custom-made cakes and things, but I have product available in the case as retail for walk-ins. I hand-make about 1,000 items a week, including all the individual cupcakes.”
Wanda Kutschke of North Aurora said she has stopped in at the bakery a number of times “for particular occasions” and enjoys the “specialty cupcakes.”
“They are special and are stuff I buy when I’m having company and need something special for dessert,” Kutschke said recently while visiting Batavia. “If I’m doing something with friends – whether it’s pickleball or playing pinochle or whatever – if we’re getting together at my house, I go out and come down here. I like the flavors and the cake. The cake is always good and it’s the right choice for me. My husband loves chocolate and I love vanilla and they’re both there.”
Bollweg said she understands the significance of the spot her business currently occupies and is happy to be part of the bakery legacy that has been established there.
“I realize there is a legacy here and being here does mean more to me,” she said. “The location is excellent and the building itself has a lot of character and to me historical buildings are beautiful. It’s natural limestone outside and it’s wonderful.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
