Here We Go Again: Bakery Owner Selling Business For $75, An Essay & A Cupcake Recipe

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(Dyanna Hyde)

There’s a new bandwagon rolling through the country and it’s only gaining more riders: After the owner of a Maine inn became the darling of the viral news cycle by offering up her establishment to the winner of an essay contest, a goat cheese farm and now a bakery have chosen to use her method of finding the ideal person to take over their business.

A Vermont bakery owner’s plan for a successor to her business selling soups, sandwiches, cakes, cupcakes and pies is relatively simple, reports VPR.com: Whoever submits the winning essay (along with a $75 entry fee) and a cupcake recipe will take over the already established storefront at a small shopping plaza as well as all the equipment inside and 80 hours of training for those who need it.

“I wanted to spread out the pool of perspective owners. It’s not necessarily about being a buyer. It’s more about having the love and the ability to do this job,”she says.

Before the current owner can hand over the keys — she’s leaving town because her partner got a job out of state — she says she needs to first make $22,000 to walk away, basically to cover the cost of the equipment.

To raise it, she’s crowdfunding on Facebook to help raise donations, and hopes that people will help out. With the clock ticking and only a few entries so far, if the plan is unsuccessful, she says she’ll close the business and return the donations.

“It’s about creating opportunities for people and keeping our local economy strong. Its set up for people to enter and it’s also set up for people to donate,” she says.

Waitsfield Cupcake Business Is For Sale For $75 (Sort Of) [VPR.com]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist