Clandestine doughnut shop on Somerville bike path?
Does anyone have any scoop on the former bakery/doughnut shop located just past Willow Ave along the bike path outside Davis Square in Somerville? I pass by it on my commute, and for a few years there were daily bakery odors wafting along the bike path. It was always somewhat of a shady operation- no name, no signage on the shop. I would sometimes see delivery trucks unloading 100 lb bags of flour, and if the door was open you could see muffins and baked goods cooling on racks. The workers didn't speak much English- I tried to ask if there was somewhere I could buy the goods, and never got an answer. A delivery guy said that the baked goods were packaged and sold at convenience stores, supermarkets, etc under several names including "Baby Cakes," which I never saw. A neighbor remembered being able to get doughnuts "unofficially" as a kid by waiting at the back door many years ago.
Then, about 6 months ago, a sign with a big red "X" appeared on the building, which I've since learned means "condemned." There was a stop work order tacked to the door with an explanation that an inspector found a hole in the floor making it an unsafe work environment. The doughnut odors stopped, and there has been little activity since. Today, I saw someone in the store through an open door. I don't know what they were doing, but it appears to be stripped down and is just an empty space.
I can't help but think what a great retail location this would make. I also wonder what the whole story is. Was it a drug front? Did they ever make any baked goods really? Sometimes people on this board seem to have an amazing amount of inside info, so I'm wondering if anyone else knows about the mysterious doughnut shop that is no more...
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re: Allstonian
Thanks! I guess I wasn't sure how to go about searching for a secret bakery operation... turns out "secret bakery" or "secret donut" would have worked, but "clandestine doughnut" did not. Doh! So, the fact remains that it's been shut down since Feb and no real activity. My glimpse inside today was not very revealing. I wonder if anyone knows of any eventual plans?
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re: Parsnipity
Allstonian
Sep 25, 2008 04:03 PM
Actually, what worked for me was "somerville bike path".
Sorry, I don't know of any plans, though!
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