Meet the New Owners of Mrs. Goodman’s Baking Company
By Nicholas Dekker
Earlier this month, Michele Tackett and her mother-in-law Sheri Tackett celebrated their one-year anniversary as the new owners of Mrs. Goodman’s Baking Company. While the bakery has been around for more than 30 years, owned first by the Goodman family and then by the Alderman family, the Tacketts purchased it while both looking to make a life change. We caught up with Michele to learn more about their first year owning the bakery and what’s new!
Nick: How did you come to own Mrs. Goodman’s?
Michele: It’s a family effort. I met my husband in Connecticut. He is from Dublin, and we started a family and relocated here two years ago. My mother-in-law is retired; she’s my business partner and mentor. We threw out a lot of ideas of things to do, then we got wind that Mrs. Goodman’s was for sale – it was the perfect opportunity for a business as a family.
Nick: How has your first year been at the helm?
Michele: It’s been a whirlwind. I don’t know if it’s been six weeks or six years!
Nick: What updates did you make to the storefront?
Michele: The brand is amazing, the product is amazing. Worthington loves Mrs. Goodman’s and their products, but it needed a facelift. When we came in, we wanted people to feel the way when they enjoy the cakes, like you’re walking into your grandma’s kitchen. The color scheme and environment is light, bright, happy, it should take you back. We replaced the floors, ceilings, lights. My father-in-law Floyd built the cabinets. We installed the barn door to the kitchen, and opened the doorway a little. We brought the displays out, but it still feels bigger than before. We were always doing a little dance behind the counter, having trays and cakes balancing.
Nick: And how about the baked goods?
Michele: We knew people loved Mrs. Goodman’s and their products, so we haven’t changed the recipes, but made some quality improvements to the ingredients, and added some new products. We’ve used the weekends to try a Danish, try cinnamon rolls – the cinnamon rolls have become a staple in our case. We do plain, pecans, and buttercream – that’s our most popular addition.
We still do made-from-scratch cookies – we offer over 12 varieties, plus a dozen options of scones. We did swap one cookie – the chocolate, white chocolate, pecan. We swapped it with peanut butter chip. The pies are popular at Thanksgiving – we offer them year-round. Our pie crusts are homemade. The previous owners had a cupcake display, too – we keep them stocked, and offer new varieties.
We like to experiment with things, too, like our cookies and cream cake. We did a week of candy cakes – Heath, Almond Joy – we couldn’t keep them in stock.
Nick: And the reception has been good, from customers and employees?
Michele: We were blessed that Worthington was so loyal to Mrs. Goodman’s. There was some concern when word got out that there were new owners, but we haven’t changed the recipes. And we wanted to create a good work environment for our employees – listen to them, do what is within our means to fix – make it a positive and happy environment.
Meet Michele, Sheri, and their whole team when you visit Mrs. Goodman’s Baking Company. And be sure to pick up a cookie or two… or a scone… or a cinnamon roll, or a cake while you’re there.
Mrs. Goodman’s Baking Company
901 High St.
Worthington, OH 43085
614-888-7437
mrsgoodmans.com