If you’re in downtown Canby and you catch the whiff of some delicious baked goods fresh out of the oven — don’t be surprised. That’s just B’s Bake Shoppe, Canby’s new upscale artisan bakery, located at The Dahlia next to Canby Gifts, which opens to the public this Friday.
Owners Bethany and David Zito are offering a “soft opening” — and, no doubt, plenty of their already famous soft pretzels — this week, in preparation for their grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 1.
Bethany, a professional baker and pastry chef, and David, an experienced sous chef, have worked in the industry for some time, but are first-time business owners, and have built B’s Bake Shoppe from the ground up.
Last year, Bethany Zito had found success at the Hubbard Farmers Market but had only dreamed of opening her own brick-and-mortar bakeshop. And, even just a few months ago, what is now B’s Bake Shoppe was an empty shell, just waiting for a creative user to impart their bold vision on the space.
It has since been transformed, with a honey-and-brown-sugar color scheme and honeycomb motif, wood countertops and lots and lots of real estate to display Bethany’s amazing creations — all safely protected behind plexiglass.
“It’s been a learning curve,” she admitted. “But at least I’ve had time to learn those things as I go. We actually got a little lucky in that sense. We had made our decisions and our plans, then Covid happened, but construction hadn’t started yet. So, we were able to modify our plan to go along with it.”
Through it all, the community has been a huge support.
“I don’t have anything negative things to say at all,” she said. “The city has been so fantastic to work with, so helpful, so supportive. I think someone reaches out every few days. A lot of community support.”
B’s Bake Shoppe is the culmination of a dream Zito has harbored ever since she started in the industry over 15 years ago. After doing weekends at the Hubbard Farmers Market, she found fresh-baked, scratch breads and pastries were in demand in the south Portland metro area.
She plans to focus on artisan sourdough breads, pretzels (which have proven to be a huge hit at the Canby’s Farmers Market and other events this year) and other fresh-baked goods that might be hard to find without a trip deeper into the Portland metro.
At B’s Bake Shoppe, you’ll find breakfast pastries, sandwiches and other staples, but also a few things you might not expect, including Bethany’s homemade ice cream and a line of what she calls “big, fat candy bars” including her own version of established brands like Almond Joy (they stylize them “Almond Joyy” to avoid any copyright infringement).
Wholesale will also be a big part of her business, as she looks to supply local restaurants, stores and other outlets with fresh goods baked right here in town. The Shoppe will have grab-and-go sales, and serve drip coffee for those who’d rather dine in and linger.
Plus, there may be a few new things on the horizon, like “Friday Night Dinners,” a concept the Zitos teased us with but wouldn’t go into detail on.
B’s Bake Shoppe will be open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Check out more of Bethany’s amazing creations on Facebook and Instagram.
Hear more about B’s Bake Shoppe on Episode 190 of the Canby Now Podcast, “Happy As Can B’s”:
