Photo by Holly Allen – Jamie Tankesley will open a storefront for her business, The Rustic Baker, inside the old Sign of the Times building at 405 Broadway, Valley Falls. The public is invited to a grand opening Saturday, March 23, to try out the bakery’s offerings and see the renovations made to the historic building.
by Holly Allen
Downtown Valley Falls is about to get a little sweeter with the grand opening of The Rustic Baker’s storefront March 23.
After spending more than a year renovating the historic building at 405 Broadway which formerly housed Sign of the Times, owner Jamie Tankesley is ready to share the restored space with the community.
“I am so passionate about this project and wanted to get it just right for you all,” Tankesley said. “Having a storefront bakery has been my dream forever. I’m excited and nervous, but mostly, I want to make this a space with something for everyone to come and enjoy.”
A U.S. Air Force veteran and lifelong baker by hobby, Tankesley started up the bakery business a few years back out of her home at Boyle, between Valley Falls and Nortonville, creating custom confections for clients. Over the years, she has worked to hone her skills and that business has boomed, growing into a full-time job which has taken over the home she lives in with her husband, Dustin, and kids, Jacob, 17, Jayden, 14, and Emmett, 11.
Tankesley fills orders every day of the week and is booked out weeks in advance, making cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more for all manner of special occasions.
“We are so excited to be moving this operation into the commercial space — I will be doing all of my baking here from now on,” she exclaimed.
In addition to custom orders, the bakery will offer basic coffee and a multitude of sweet and savory options daily for walk-in customers.
Hours of operation will be 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. To start, the business will be manned by Tankesley herself, alongside her teenage daughter, Jayden.
The breakfast menu mentions biscuits and gravy, a parfait, and assortment of pastries, donuts, danishes, cinnamon rolls, muffins, breads, and scones. For a light lunch option, a cobb salad or lunch box featuring items like pinwheels, veggies, nuts, and fruit, will be available. Sweet treats include a root beer float, scoop of ice cream, brownie sundae, cakes, cookies, and chocolate-dipped goods. There are also specialty and seasonal drink options.
The recipes are a mix of her own, family favorites from her youth, and those shared by others.
Tankesley hopes to expand the menu as time and demand allow, and to vary offerings from week to week until she gets a read on what people want to see from her daily options.
There are discount days on the menu for teachers, students, and seniors, and a daily discount for military members and first responders.
Her goal is to create a welcoming space for the community to come and break bread and share a cup of coffee together. She hopes to cater to everyone from the town’s youth to its seniors. Wi-Fi will be available to all, and she hopes teens and students will utilize the space to hang out or to study, and that old-timers might meet up for daily conversation and commiseration.
“I want it to be that space for this community,” she chuckles, adding, “We had an old diner in my hometown. It had a TV which only played music or showed the weather. That’s the feel I’m going for here. Our TV will do the same.”
Most of the renovations done to the building speak toward that aim. She and her husband, a diesel mechanic and jack-of-all-trades, have closed off the cased opening between their building and the one to its west, installing a wall, restroom, and utility room in the back. They shored up floor joists and installed a new sub-floor, as well as put in new HVAC and an upgraded electrical panel.
The renovated kitchen is cheerful, with the outer rock wall exposed, barn tin covering the remaining walls and ceiling, and shiny new appliances trimmed in turquoise paint.
The historic tin ceiling has been painted a dark brown, the walls tan and turquoise, and the double fans allude to windmills, a nod to The Rustic Baker’s logo. A wooden bar with a vintage recipe card top has been installed along the front window, with barstools for people- and weather-watching. Various farmhouse tables add a rustic and homey feel. The original front door is still in place, with all-new glass.
The space is welcoming and warm. Despite the changes, those who grew up smelling the coffee inside Sign of the Times, or even Arthur’s Cafe before it, will likely feel a jolt of nostalgia as they enter the building. Tankesley hopes it recalls for them old memories while creating a space for them to make new ones.
“Doing this has really created a sense of purpose in myself. I think this is my way of giving back,” she stated. “We are grateful to the Brown brothers (Zac and Lacey) for allowing us to utilize this building to make our dream a reality. It really is the perfect location.”
Big on shopping local, a space at the front of the building will be reserved for selling Kansas-made wares. Several licensed vendors have already signed up to provide farm fresh eggs, honey, peppers, jelly and farmhouse-themed goods. Two of the vendors are military veterans, like herself.
Tankesley also intends to make the space available for private party rental outside normal business hours. She hopes to hold cake decorating classes and the like for local youth and organizations there, as well.
Custom orders, formerly made out of her home, will now be made and picked up on-site, at the bakery. As she has an increasing number of new and loyal out-of-town customers, she sees it as a positive that her custom pick-up orders might bring new people to downtown Valley Falls.
To reserve a date for a custom order, clients can call the bakery at (785) 573-1024 or message The Rustic Baker on Facebook.
Though she loves creating most everything she bakes, crafting custom birthday cakes holds a special space in her heart.
“There’s something about being a part of someone’s special day that keeps me going,” she said. “The look on their faces as you bring them the simplest of joys — that’s what it’s all about for me.”
The Rustic Baker’s grand opening will be held from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, March 23. The storefront’s regular business hours will commence beginning the following Tuesday, March 26.