Dream Bakery - Completed April 7, 2018
The Beginning:
The dream began with Molly Stone, youngest of Richard and Alvetta Stone's three daughters. With smart and talented ancestors, Molly might have felt pressured to become a scientist or astronaut like her mother and maternal grandmother, or a musician like her convert virtuoso father. But Molly left such lofty ambitions to her older sisters, Daniela and Gemma. She did well in school, if she wasn't a top student and had little aptitude or interest in music. Her passion was cooking, and she often watched cooking shows after school as a teen.
Molly knew she wanted to open a bakery and make a success of it. Her family might not have understood her, but they supported her dream as best they could. She also wanted a partner and children of her own, however, and set about making that happen with the same dedication as she worked on her cooking skills.
Molly met Masami Sasaki at the romance festival, and the two hit it off, staying in contact after they went their separate ways to finish High School, one in Oasis Springs, one in San Myshuno.
Masami had ambitions of her own, wanting to reach the top of her chosen career, and for a while it looked like the two would split up. But they figured out how to make things work. Raised by a single father, Masami was used to making her own way. She did know how to compromise, however. She switched her career plan from tech guru, where she was at a very low level, to Food Critic, which would allow her to work from home sometimes and help Molly with any future children as well as the bakery.
The couple worked out a system in which Molly mostly ran the bakery alone, with Masami pitching in either before or after work and most of either Saturday and Sunday. Their plan went well while Molly's parents were still alive and could help out. Kengo, named for his grandfather, spent most days with his grandparents until he started school. At that pint, he spent afternoons at the bakery, doing his homework while his parents worked.
Then Ruby came along, and Molly chose to stay home with her during the toddler years, leaving the bakery in the hands of employees most days. Somehow they kept going, with the bakery making less money and Masami advancing in her career, until the twins, Kimi and Ricky, were born.
Masami started working from home to give Molly a hand, and the bakery's hours were reduced. It wasn't long before they realized they couldn't keep up with the bills. Someone decided that things would be easier if they just sold their big house and renovated the upper floors of The Cakery building into an apartment. That would at least save time and Molly could runt he bakery herself, able to hear and respond quickly if the twins needed her. This also saved on nanny and daycare costs. Masami continued to work from home as the family of six plus one cat made the transition.
Now, with the two parents approaching retirement age and Kengo taking over more of the day-to=day running of The Cakery and Kimi helping after school, the business is finally beginning to turn a modest profit.
The dream began with Molly Stone, youngest of Richard and Alvetta Stone's three daughters. With smart and talented ancestors, Molly might have felt pressured to become a scientist or astronaut like her mother and maternal grandmother, or a musician like her convert virtuoso father. But Molly left such lofty ambitions to her older sisters, Daniela and Gemma. She did well in school, if she wasn't a top student and had little aptitude or interest in music. Her passion was cooking, and she often watched cooking shows after school as a teen.
Molly knew she wanted to open a bakery and make a success of it. Her family might not have understood her, but they supported her dream as best they could. She also wanted a partner and children of her own, however, and set about making that happen with the same dedication as she worked on her cooking skills.
Molly met Masami Sasaki at the romance festival, and the two hit it off, staying in contact after they went their separate ways to finish High School, one in Oasis Springs, one in San Myshuno.
Masami had ambitions of her own, wanting to reach the top of her chosen career, and for a while it looked like the two would split up. But they figured out how to make things work. Raised by a single father, Masami was used to making her own way. She did know how to compromise, however. She switched her career plan from tech guru, where she was at a very low level, to Food Critic, which would allow her to work from home sometimes and help Molly with any future children as well as the bakery.
The couple worked out a system in which Molly mostly ran the bakery alone, with Masami pitching in either before or after work and most of either Saturday and Sunday. Their plan went well while Molly's parents were still alive and could help out. Kengo, named for his grandfather, spent most days with his grandparents until he started school. At that pint, he spent afternoons at the bakery, doing his homework while his parents worked.
Then Ruby came along, and Molly chose to stay home with her during the toddler years, leaving the bakery in the hands of employees most days. Somehow they kept going, with the bakery making less money and Masami advancing in her career, until the twins, Kimi and Ricky, were born.
Masami started working from home to give Molly a hand, and the bakery's hours were reduced. It wasn't long before they realized they couldn't keep up with the bills. Someone decided that things would be easier if they just sold their big house and renovated the upper floors of The Cakery building into an apartment. That would at least save time and Molly could runt he bakery herself, able to hear and respond quickly if the twins needed her. This also saved on nanny and daycare costs. Masami continued to work from home as the family of six plus one cat made the transition.
Now, with the two parents approaching retirement age and Kengo taking over more of the day-to=day running of The Cakery and Kimi helping after school, the business is finally beginning to turn a modest profit.
