WESTBOROUGH – It’s Tuesday morning, and prep work is underway.
For Swanski’s Bakeshop at 72 East Main St., that means lots of baking from scratch with local produce and ingredients.
Come Wednesday morning, its shelves will be filled with bagels, breads, cookies and other baked goods.
But not for long. By the time it closes for the day, most of the items will be sold.
And then it’s back to the shop at midnight for more baking.
“It’s definitely a lot of work,” said Em Milewski.
However, it’s work that she and her partner, Casey Swan, enjoy.
They opened Swanski’s Bakeshop in November 2020. The name of the shop is also the name they adopted when they married about a year ago.
Both Swan and Milewski started baking when they were children. Swan, who specializes in cookies and bars, baked with her mom and grandma, and Milewski baked a little as a child before teaching herself through YouTube and other resources.
Milewski attended Whittier Tech in Haverhill, where she really got into baking. At Johnson & Wales in Providence, R.I., she earned three degrees in three years, including entrepreneurship.
Milewski and Swan met as students attending Johnson & Wales. After college, they moved to Massachusetts, where Milewski had family. Swan worked at Starbucks, while Milewski was running a business on Cape Cod.
Both of them worked long hours and realized that their time would be better used running their own business.
“If I’m going to work 100 hours a week, I’ll do it for myself,” said Milewski.
Milewski, who grew up in the area, discovered the space on East Main Street. Soon after, she and Swan had the bake shop up and running.
“We opened in November of 2020,” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Milewski.
During the summer of 2021, she and Swan decided to renovate the shop while selling products at three local farmers markets.
The store was repainted, the lighting was replaced, and retail shelves were installed. They also got new menu boards.
The bakeshop’s menu offers many items with a seasonal twist, such as whoopie pies. Some items are swapped out after a few weeks.
“We have ever-changing flavors,” said Mileski.
Swan added that they try out new flavors on Saturdays.
The baked goods are a result of a blend of ideas – “We mashed together from old family recipes,” said Swan – and all of it is made from scratch.
Bagels are a big favorite among Swanski’s fans. There are three varieties – plain, everything and sesame – and usually sell out before 11 a.m.
“They’re quite popular,” said Swan.
The bakers get produce from Harvey’s Farm and Garden Center, which is just up the street.
In addition to the baked goods, the shop also sells cream cheese and products from Kingdom Coffee Roasters based in Vermont; Swanski’s is the only location in Massachusetts that sells the coffee.
With Mother’s Day, they had quiche and lemon tarts as among the special offerings.
Swanski’s Bakeshop is open Wednesdays-Fridays from 6 a.m. to noon, and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The shop is closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
For the latest, call 508-329-1699, or visit www.facebook.com/swanskisbakeshop20.
