Rising Bun Bakery To Close After 26 Years

Jeff Green | Apr 18, 2013

In 1986, Anne Howes, who was then Anne Ferguson and then in her early 20s, started up a small bakery at her mother’s Sears Catalogue store next to the Brewer’s Retail store near the junction of Highway 7 and 38.

“I thought it would be a good business and that I would have some time off in the winter months,” Anne recalls.

She was partly right.

The Rising Bun was a successful business from the start, but the part about time off didn’t work out nearly as well.

Twenty-six years later, after buying the property from her mother, Theresa Ferguson, and expanding the business to include a tea room/restaurant and a range of sweet and savoury baked goods, rotisserie chicken and take out salads, Ann Howes sold the building and property early this spring.

A Subway will be opening in the next few months, after the building is extensively renovated.

The Rising Bun has been for sale for 4½ years.

“I really wanted to sell it as The Rising Bun; that was my intention,” Anne Howes said, “and I was even willing to stay on to train the new owner, teach them my recipes and work with them for up to a year.”

A number of potential buyers did come forward, but according to Howes, those with restaurant experience couldn’t handle the financing, and those with money didn’t have restaurant experience. In the end there never was a proper fit, and last fall, a group from Brighton brought up the idea of buying the property for a Subway Restaurant. While that original inquiry did not lead to an offer, another buyer eventually came forward and the sale was completed.

“It took me a while to get used the idea of the Rising Bun not continuing at that location, but after this amount of time, it was time for me to sell. It will also be the first franchise restaurant in Sharbot Lake, which is something, and it will also provide local jobs, which is also something,” said Anne Howes.

Because it is a Subway taking over, Anne was able to keep the Rising Bun as a business name in case she wants to keep a business going in some fashion, and even before any changes have been made at her former store, she has already moved The Rising Bun into a new direction.

She is baking bread three days a week at Local Family Farms in Verona, where it is being sold as Rising Bun Bread, and she will have a booth at the Sharbot Lake Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings starting on the Victoria Day weekend. There is no word yet on whether Rising Bun Chelsea Buns will be available at the market.

“They're kind of messy to make, and I’m not sure if I have the space to make them right now, so we’ll have to see,” she said.

Selling the building is certainly the most drastic change to the Rising Bun over its history, but there have been a number of other changes over the years.

Until 1992, the bakery was located in a small corner of the building, which also housed a used furniture showroom in addition to the Sears outlet. In 1992, the furniture was removed and tea room and restaurant were opened, with the Sears outlet remaining in place. It was then that the Rising Bun really took off, and became a very popular spot for lunches for the next 20 years. Customers were attracted to daily soups and specials, and Rising Bun sandwiches, pies and squares. While the summer has always been busier in the bakery, the lunch hour traffic was steady throughout the week year round

When Theresa Ferguson retired from running the Sears outlet about 8 years ago, the dining area was changed and a new counter was put in, as well as a rotisserie oven. Take out chicken and salads became part of the take-out menu at that time.

Two winters ago, after the business had not sold, Anne decided to close between Christmas and May 1, and although she was worried that she might lose customers, she found them waiting for the bakery to re-open each year.

“It has always been a good business and I’ve always enjoyed a lot of community support,” said Anne about closing, “but after 26 years of getting up in the middle of the night to have bread ready for the morning, it is time for a change.”