A brief commercial
I don't like buying things cause I'm anti-consumerist and I'm cheap. But sometimes I find a place that I really don't mind dropping bucks at.
Avalon Bakery is one of those places.
I really think it is one of the best places in Detroit. I have heard from a bunch of people that baking bread is really easy, but I haven't bothered to learn because Avalon is so good. To start off, most of the things they have are vegan and their staff knows what that means. Then everything they have is organic. It sounds like I am describing some richy overpriced coffee shop where everyone has their noses in the air right?
WRONG! That is another good thing, Avalon is in the Cass Corridor so basically it attracts people from all economic backgrounds and they make an extra effort to make their staff diverse. They also go out of their way to employ people in the surrounding area. So you know it isn't just Wayne State kids that are importing their royal oak culture for part of the year - Avalon is run by people who live in and care about the city. (Sure suburbians probably work there, but the focus is on the city). Also, besides Avalon sponsering environmental programs in the city, they also provide their employees with health care.
In addition to this whole "devoted to the city" idea, they also refuse to have more than one location. They send their bread as far as Ann Arbor to be sold in the coop there, but they want to only have one location to give other people an opportunity to start their own businesses. They also offer to help mentor business starters. Avalon Bakery is worth something over a million dollars a year, but they are content with what they have.
Now that they are worth so much though they are moving a few blocks up the street to be off of Woodward over by the Whitney. The only reason this sucks is that they won't be next door to Goodwell's anymore. Goodwell's is a black owned and opporated Detroit independant grocery with mostly organic produce and products. I go there to get my natural organic cooperatively made peanut butter. And as far as I know, they are the only place in Detroit to get vegan cheese (the good kind!).
But yeah, I walked into Avalon tonight a little before they closed cause I got out of work after 5pm and they close at 6pm. When I rushed in I noticed that they were low on bread which sucked, but one of the guys working asked me, "are you vegetarian?" I told him I was vegan and he said, "this is vegan" and handed me a free pot pie. It was still warm! Then after finding out they didn't have my favorite Wheaty Wheat bread, I found out that in January they have a buy one get one free deal going on. So for $5.50 I walked out of Avalon with 6 lbs of Sourdough Bread and a piece of Vegan Pot Pie. I was so happy. I loved this place before, but I love them even more now.
I also forgot to mention that they are woman owned and LGBT friendly. It only keeps getting better.
So go to this place if you live in Detroit, or even if you are just visiting. They are on Cass and W. Willis until they move this Spring to their Woodward location.
bread love.
Avalon Bakery is one of those places.
I really think it is one of the best places in Detroit. I have heard from a bunch of people that baking bread is really easy, but I haven't bothered to learn because Avalon is so good. To start off, most of the things they have are vegan and their staff knows what that means. Then everything they have is organic. It sounds like I am describing some richy overpriced coffee shop where everyone has their noses in the air right?
WRONG! That is another good thing, Avalon is in the Cass Corridor so basically it attracts people from all economic backgrounds and they make an extra effort to make their staff diverse. They also go out of their way to employ people in the surrounding area. So you know it isn't just Wayne State kids that are importing their royal oak culture for part of the year - Avalon is run by people who live in and care about the city. (Sure suburbians probably work there, but the focus is on the city). Also, besides Avalon sponsering environmental programs in the city, they also provide their employees with health care.
In addition to this whole "devoted to the city" idea, they also refuse to have more than one location. They send their bread as far as Ann Arbor to be sold in the coop there, but they want to only have one location to give other people an opportunity to start their own businesses. They also offer to help mentor business starters. Avalon Bakery is worth something over a million dollars a year, but they are content with what they have.
Now that they are worth so much though they are moving a few blocks up the street to be off of Woodward over by the Whitney. The only reason this sucks is that they won't be next door to Goodwell's anymore. Goodwell's is a black owned and opporated Detroit independant grocery with mostly organic produce and products. I go there to get my natural organic cooperatively made peanut butter. And as far as I know, they are the only place in Detroit to get vegan cheese (the good kind!).
But yeah, I walked into Avalon tonight a little before they closed cause I got out of work after 5pm and they close at 6pm. When I rushed in I noticed that they were low on bread which sucked, but one of the guys working asked me, "are you vegetarian?" I told him I was vegan and he said, "this is vegan" and handed me a free pot pie. It was still warm! Then after finding out they didn't have my favorite Wheaty Wheat bread, I found out that in January they have a buy one get one free deal going on. So for $5.50 I walked out of Avalon with 6 lbs of Sourdough Bread and a piece of Vegan Pot Pie. I was so happy. I loved this place before, but I love them even more now.
I also forgot to mention that they are woman owned and LGBT friendly. It only keeps getting better.
So go to this place if you live in Detroit, or even if you are just visiting. They are on Cass and W. Willis until they move this Spring to their Woodward location.
bread love.