Sheffield — The co-owners of Bakin’ Bakery, at 117 Main Street, have announced that, after three years of operation, the bakery has been put up for sale. In a social media post on September 13, co-owners Mark Rulison and Lusha Caliendo Martin announced that doctors have advised Martin to cut back on her work.
Martin is a lifelong resident of Berkshire County and Rulison moved to Sheffield from Boston in 2014.
“As we’ve mentioned publicly, when we first opened we knew that the most significant challenge in sustaining the business long-term would be how it impacted Lusha’s health,” Rulison wrote in an email to The Berkshire Edge. “Anyone who follows the bakery on social media knows that Lusha has Multiple Sclerosis. In fact, we leveraged raising funds and awareness about MS to launch our charitable initiative Piggies with a Purpose which has gone on to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and numerous other organizations and causes, most local to South County. We are happy to share that nothing life-threatening or irreversible has materialized with Lusha’s health, but we are at a point now where the doctors have advised that changes need to be made.”
Rulison wrote that opening a bakery was Martin’s idea. “Anyone local of a certain age or the parents of those now young adults will remember [Martin] as the ‘cookie mom’ who brought goodies to all of her sons’ sporting events and Cub Scouts gatherings,” Rulison wrote. “From there, she went to culinary school and worked at restaurants and bakeries, large and small, throughout the county. But the dream was always to own and operate her shop. Neither of us has previously owned a business; most of our careers were spent working in the nonprofit sector.”
The business is being sold as “a turn-key business opportunity,” Rulison wrote. “The location is a leased space in the Bartholomew Block in the heart of Sheffield,” he explained. “Our landlord, who has been understanding and supportive throughout this entire process, has indicated a willingness to work with potential new owners moving forward.”
According to Rulison, until a buyer is found, the two intend to keep the bakery open for reduced hours on Fridays and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the bakery closed from Monday through Thursday.
“We will miss the established relationships with our loyal customers and our regulars,” Rulison wrote. “There are many families in the area for whom Lusha has made the cakes and desserts for their weddings, baby showers, and then their children’s birthdays. Being a part of the community and connecting with other local organizations and businesses through our Piggies with a Purpose initiative, multiple Undermountain Elementary PTO fundraisers, and helping with other charitable events has been central to our goal of not just being a shop but being a part of people’s lives. We wanted Bakin’ Bakery to be a place where people could make memories and we’ll miss doing that, but we’ll cherish our memories of children picking out the flavors and colors of their cakes, learning to decorate cookies, and families sitting outside together enjoying tasty treats and drawing on the sidewalk with chalk.”
Rulison added that the shop itself has been listed with Stone House Properties. According to the property listing, the equipment and inventory has been listed for sale for $175,000. The current lease for the space itself ends December, 31, 2026.
