KALAMAZOO, MI — A Kalamazoo institution for more than four decades, Sarkozy Bakery has hit its share of speedbumps over the last 10 years.
A fire scorched the 34-year-old home of Judy and Ken Sarkozy’s bakery on North Burdick Street in 2012. And after taking a few years to get their footing in their new location at 350 E. Michigan Ave., a pandemic hit. Like many other small businesses, the couple did not know if they would survive the wave COVID-19 caused.
“I was starting to feel put upon,” Judy Sarkozy said. “We had some big decisions. Could we, should we, must we remain open and finally we decided that we should stay open.”
Then, in September, Ken Sarkozy died of cancer.
But just as she has since the bakery first opened in 1978, Judy Sarkozy has continued to come to work with a determined smile on her face and the confidence that along with the sun, the bread will rise each day.
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The smell of fresh-baked oatmeal bread, almond croissants and Danish pastries continue to fill the bakery daily, and during the holidays, cookies, snowflake coffee cake and rum balls are still popular choices.
Outside of the bakery storefront, Sarkozy’s bread can be found at numerous spots around town, such as D&W Fresh Market, Harding’s Markets and Bronson Methodist Hospital. And all unsold loaves wind up being donated to charity before they hit their expiration dates, Sarkozy said.
Sarkozy, who will turn 80 this August, acknowledged she has cut back her hours of late — only working 50 per week instead of 80 — and for the first time in the bakery’s history, she has given herself two days off in a row every Sunday and Monday.
Still, she said, she has no plans to retire anytime soon, and she isn’t tipping her toque to any possible succession plans.
“This is the most talented and the most experienced staff we’ve ever had here,” she said. “But if it weren’t for the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) Loan and the tremendous support from the community, we wouldn’t be here. The loan saved us.”
Judy and Ken Sarkozy arrived in Kalamazoo in 1976, not long after they both graduated from Wayne State University. After graduation, the couple made the decision to hit the road and find a place they both liked, move there, and then “figure it out once we got there,” Sarkozy said.
After traveling all around Michigan, the two, who both grew up on the east side of the state, quickly fell in love with Kalamazoo. Two years after moving to the city, they sold their first loaf out of their own bakery.
For the first few years, Ken ran the bakery and Judy Sarkozy worked two jobs, going to Kellogg’s for a first shift job and then arriving at the bakery at 2 p.m. and working until close. After she quit Kellogg’s, she went full time at the bakery and he took a job with Downtown Kalamazoo and she ran the business.
Ken Sarkozy eventually retired after 17 years with Ministry With Community, at about the same time the couple opened the East Michigan Avenue location. Unable to sit still, he came back to work at the bakery. His humorous cartoonish art can be seen hanging throughout the building.
Related: 2012 Story post-fire: Sarkozy Bakery was ‘more than just about the food’
“One of us was always working elsewhere until the last few years, so that always helped us survive,” Judy Sarkozy said. “Only now am I finally on the payroll after all these years.”
And while the future may still be clouded with a degree of uncertainty, Sarkozy said she feels things are on an even keel again — thanks in great part to the emotional and financial support the community has showed.
“When (the pandemic) first hit, sales plummeted and we weren’t in the best shape then,” she said. “Lunches made up one-third of the bakery’s business prior to the pandemic, but for the past 14 months, they have only accounted for about one-tenth of the business.
“I’m still nervous about COVID even with the vaccines, but until things are better we won’t reopen in the evening.”
For now, the bakery is open from 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays. For more information, visit www.sarkozybakery.com.
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