We recently had the chance to connect with Allison Vaughan and have shared our conversation below.
Allison, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I had someone tell me that the way I operated the Bakehouse is the benchmark for women business owners.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Allison Vaughan, Owner of 1748 Bakehouse. While I used to identify simply as a baker, at this phase of my business, that’s just one part of a role with dozens of moving pieces.
Running this business has been a steep learning curve, but I feel I’ve worked through some of the more challenging aspects of being in a forward-facing service industry.
We love our community, our staff, and our neighbors. I hold high expectations for my team, and in return, we offer plenty of grace. We value quality, consistency, kindness, and inclusion. We are constantly adding and adjusting products to better connect with our customers wants and needs.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I was told that I was “too emotional.” But no one ever explained what that meant. So I would seal off that part of myself until I overflowed.
I’ve learned that my anger, my joy, and my sadness can all manifest as tears. That doesn’t mean I’m falling apart or that I can’t cope. It simply means that in order to regulate myself, sometimes crying is the most effective response.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
2021 was brutal. I decided to end my 30 year marriage, my spouse and I were also business partners. We were in the middle of Covid, my step mom and dad had past-away with in a few months of each other and I had an empty nest for the first time, Loss came hard and heavy for me. I had so much unfocused pain, I realized grief had become my companion.
Over 2022 and 2023 I decided to embrace that grief. I worked a ton, cried even more, I dug into building as much community in the Bakehouses 4 walls as I could muster. I watched and listened as people began to share their joy and heartache, and I used that to grieve my own losses. Now I’m left mostly with gratitude for the times spent with friends and family, I have emerged more empathetic, a better listener and most importantly I’m kinder to myself.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I am driven by equity, both in my business and my personal life. An equitable work environment is a crucial element in a satisfying work experience. That equity typically manifests in a persons skill level and ability. I try hard to not set anyone up for failure but rather assign work to fit the persons abilities.
I ran my household when my children were young. I believe that they learned how to treat others fairly with out having an unrealistic expectation of their competency in a given area.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
My great grandmother moved between several of her children’s homes as she aged. Her son in law, my grandfather once said she was the kindest person her knew. I think of that often, I might not be the kindest person someone has ever met in their lives but I hope that my heart will always precede me. I would like to be remembered as a person whole loved fiercely and unapologetically.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://1748bakehouse.com/
- Instagram: 1748Bakehouse
Image Credits
Sindy Gonzalez
