Babycakes and Lake Superior Community Partnership officials are seen at the ribbon cutting celebrating Jacob Hutchinson’s purchase of the business. (Photo courtesy of Lake Superior Community Partnership)

MARQUETTE — Babycakes, a popular bakery in Marquette widely known for its muffins snd other tasty treats, is under new ownership.

Jacob Hutchinson, a Munising High School alum and Michigan Army National Guard recruiter, recently bought the business, while continuing to work for the National Guard.

Hutchinson bought the business in part because he was an avid customer.

“The armory where I work out of was under construction,” said Hutchinson. “Actually, it’s still under construction. So I went to Babycakes every day to work on my laptop and I just became friends with all the employees, with the owner, and it was just a routine for me to go there every day. My friends and family were like ‘you should buy it’ as a joke.”

Hutchinson, however, took them seriously, and bought the business, which went up for sale last fall. This is Hutchinson’s first business venture.

The biggest learning curve, he says, has been “the backside of things, like the ins and outs of just how much work goes into producing what people buy. Even paying the bills, ordering, doing all that. Now we’re doing scheduling and doing payroll.”

Thankfully, he says, technology makes all of these processes much easier.

“I look forward to going there every morning,” said Hutchinson. “The people that come in and who have seen me already, on the news or who already know me, they come in and chat. It’s pretty fun.”

While Hutchinson does not bake the muffins himself — a night shift employee affectionately called the “muffin fairy” by her coworkers does that — he has been enjoying immersing himself in other aspects of the bakery.

As for changes, the store has a new coat of paint, and Hutchinson says that there may be some new food items on the menu coming up.

“But nothing terribly crazy or nothing that people should be worried about,” said Hutchinson. “I’m not trying to get rid of anything,” said Hutchinson, in reply to concerns from Babycakes fans that he would be taking favorites like the gluten-free muffins off of the menu.

“I just want to make the business succeed,” said Hutchinson.

Frequent visitors to Babycakes can enjoy a reward system, where every sixth visit they can get $5 off their purchase. Hutchinson also said that any uniformed worker, whether that be EMT, police, military, firefighters, nurses, etc., can get 15% off with ID.

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.