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Paynesville has not had a stand-alone bakery since the Paynesville Bakery closed its doors in April 1998.

Jody Groshens has opened Jody's Hometown Bakery on James Street in downtown Paynesville this month.

Big sellers at the new store are buns and specialty breads, which include sauerkraut, onion rye, and cranberry nut, she reported. Doughnuts, muffins, pies, and cakes can also be found there.

Jody will have cakes ready for sale, and they can also be ordered for any occasion.

She baked at home, said Jody, and then worked in a bakery at what was then called Jack and Jill. After leaving bakery work for three years to work at C & G Meats, she knew the time was right to fulfill her dream to own a bakery.

Everything came together wonderfully, Groshens said, and she is now the owner, manager, and main baker of a bakery named after her. After leasing space in the former National Bushing auto parts store on James Street starting in May, she and her family spent just over a month preparing the building for opening. Her husband Robert and sons Corey, Caleb, and Zach helped add one wall, put in flooring, and install the necessary equipment.

Robert has been with her through the entire process, said Groshens, and now he can have his favorite treat, the strawberry bear claws, in the new bakery. She herself loves the sweets and experiments with them for fun.

Customers are welcome to stay, drink coffee, and visit at the tables and chairs inside the bakery. It has been very busy, said Groshens, who said she was overwhelmed by the support as the store opened.

Right now, the bakery is open from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays. After everything settles down and she has a better idea of what business will be like, she may lengthen the Saturday hours, Groshens said.

As routines start to smooth out in her new operation, she will also do wholesale orders, she added.

Running a bakery is a lot of work, especially since she starts baking for each day at 3:30 or 4 a.m., but it is worth it, believes Groshens, because it is work that she enjoys.