Upgrades on the highway and sidewalk construction through Dayton in 2008 was a death knell.
“That really did a number on us. Our customers just didn’t want to come out this way,” said Thibault.
When the announcement was made about the loss of the Cat ferry service between Yarmouth and New England, customers were “spooked.”
“They went into panic mode. During that time we saw typical sales of $30-$40 drop to $5 per person,” he said.
Although it may seem unusual for a bakery to rely on summer visitors for its livelihood, Thibault says that was the case.
“We didn’t have a lot of Yarmouth clients, it was mostly from outlying areas,” he said.
He says the business he received in June and July used to keep him going for the rest of the year.
“Minards was a habit for 65 years. They used to recommend us at the ferry terminal and restaurants. Tourists gave us the ability to continue,” said Thibault.
“We’re physically not capable of maintaining without tourists. Many of our clients are selling their homes,” he said, referring to many American summer residents and the difficulty they have travelling to Yarmouth now.
We’re physically not capable of maintaining without tourists. Many of our clients are selling their homes. - Richard Thibault,, referring to many American summer residents and the difficulty they have travelling to Yarmouth now.
Thibault says he typically made $30,
000 to $40,000 during the summer months but as of late had to start throwing out thousands of dollars worth of product each week.
“We gave it to the farmers for their animals,” he said.
The bakery was well known for its Key lime squares; sugar-free dutch brown bread with no eggs, no dairy and no fat; sugar cookies and puff pastry.
Fridays he used to earn up to $1,900. He was lucky to gross $97 at the end. Issues with financing compounded problems.
After his decision to pack it in, he says he had people coming to thank him and say good-bye on a daily basis.
The business employed a maximum of six to seven people during its peak time.
For now Thibault says he’s staying in the area and possibly pursuing more education for an alternate career.
