VICKSBURG, Mich. — A well-loved bakery that shut down at the end of 2020 has reopened under new owners.
Formerly in Kalamazoo, Mackenzies Bakery now calls the Village of Vicksburg home.
In just the first three days of opening, the bakery saw over 600 customers. It even sold out completely on the first day and got close to selling out the following days.
"Mackenzies Bakery was a staple in Kalamazoo for 40 years," said Jill Younger, Mackenzies Bakery's General Manager.
It is a staple that many have clearly missed, driving to the Village of Vicksburg when the bakery reopened last week under the new owners.
"We knew that we wanted a great bakery here in Vicksburg at some point, and so we figured ‘what the heck’. We moved forward, bought the business and we were lucky enough to have John consult with us the whole way to make sure we knew what we were doing and try to help us get started. It was also important that we made sure to have some of the employees come with us," said Paper City Development Chief Operating Officer Jackie Koney.
The new owners, Paper City Development, are the same ones revamping a former nearby paper mill, The Mill at Vicksburg.
READ: Vicksburg paper mill site to get redeveloped
They also own some buildings downtown like the spot where Mackenzies Bakery is now located at N. Main and E. Prairie Streets.
"The building is 137 years old. It has been a lot of things over time, but I think what people most remember, especially the elders in our community, remember that this was the Doris Lee Sweet Shop," Koney said.
"We’re a new iteration of Mackenzies," Younger said. "We’re paying homage and we’re keeping some of the traditional things that Mackenzies was and that everyone knows and loves, but we are also taking this opportunity that we have with this new beginning to create some new things that will hopefully become new traditions with people and their families."
Mackenzies Bakery is selling many of its most popular items, like their Struan bread along with muffins, cookies and coffee.
"They’re the same recipes that we had before. Everything is original Mackenzies, so the staples and the tried and true formulas are in place," Younger said.
Renovations started last August, and the bakery finally opened up last week.
Mackenzies Bakery will be open Tuesday-Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
