Hi, I’m Mary Sue Gates, owner and cupcake baker extraordinaire at Kimball Bakery and Merrycakes. Welcome!
From the time I was a small child, I was fascinated with all things “kitchen”.
I loved to cook, bake and create. Much of this creating was done with my grandmother, Me-Me, on Saturday mornings in her pink and white kitchen – even the appliances were PINK! I would go to Me-Me’s and we would bake, cook and eat Ketchup Sandwiches. (She always swore me to secrecy…I guess the cat is outta the bag!) My granddad – dubbed “Mrs. Murphy” for some unknown reason – would help us with chopping, entertainment and anything else we needed. He’d burst into the kitchen singing “Will There Be Any Stars In My Crown” or “Yes, We Have No Bananas”. Made us giggle every time. My very patient mother would also allow me to make whatever my heart desired, which once was a two-story Gingerbread House finished at around 3 AM in what looked like an icing war zone. My baking and cooking skills have continued to develop over the years (“noneya” in regard to how MANY years!).
I now am living my dream of owning a cupcake business and bakery, thanks to the encouragement and help from my partner, Amie. She was the catalyst for the purchase of the bakery and the blooming of my dream. She is the business behind my creativity and the power behind my growth. She encouraged me to follow my dreams and be who God made me to be. I am forever grateful that she is in my life and that I get to live my dream everyday.
We are also grateful to have support from those who work with us at the Bakery. JP, our Baker has been at the bakery for years and we were blessed that he stayed on board through all the changes! Lynn Vogel, Julie Morgan, and Gloria Arrington (Amie’s mama) do everything from sales to cleaning to moral support to brainstorming. Whitney, our daughter, and Joel, our son-in-law, have done our branding – our beautiful logos and website are thanks to them. We are SO grateful to everyone for their support and most of all, fun!! This is a FUN bunch and they all add their own piece to the cozy, fun, farmhouse vibe.
About Kimball Bakery
Kimball Bakery was founded by Arnie Christensen’s father and was originally located on the 100 block of East 2nd Street in Kimball. It was then moved to the current location, 124 South Chestnut Street (a.k.a. Kimball’s “Main” downtown street) in the 1930’s and was owned by Arnie Christensen and his father. Ownership then ended up with Robert Hinton before it came up for sale in 2019.
The Bakery seemed the perfect venue for Merrycakes, a business I started several years ago, run mostly as a hobby while I was a hospice nurse. After several years in this field, something more “merry” was definitely needed in my life due to burnout, and the more professional version of Merrycakes was born. I purchased the bakery in late 2019, renovated (lots of pink and white, just like Me-Me’s kitchen!) and opened back up as Kimball Bakery/Merrycakes in early 2020.
We can’t wait for you to come and see us! WELCOME to Merrycakes and Kimball Bakery, where dreams are coming true almost daily!