New bakery brings goodies downtown

by Nathan Chiantella, senior writer

Unhappy people rarely walk into a bakery, and without a doubt, unhappy people never walk out.

Shank’s Bakery came into existence when its owner Randy Shank was faced with two paths. He and his wife, Janet, had been selling their baked goods for years in the Farmers Market and were at the point where their home kitchen was too small to sustain the demand.

“I had two decisions,” Shank said. “I could quit or move to a grander scale.”

Luckily, Shank went with his second option, and just two months ago opened his own bakery on Water Street in downtown Harrisonburg.

When approaching the bakery, you are met with enormous windows on all sides. Shank enjoys the welcoming façade for people to wave as they pass. 

Architecture aside, everyone is interested in what lies within this classic bakery. Here, three ovens churn out cookies, muffins, pies and tarts, just to name a few. They also have a variety of sourdough breads, including such creative flavors as apricot-walnut, garlic-herb and cherry-cheese.

While Shank’s favorite dish is the apple pie, his favorite item to make is the multigrain bread because of all the steps that go into its production.

Desserts are just the start of what is offered, as Shank’s also has a variety of gourmet coffee drinks and teas. A nice espresso or chai is an ideal accompaniment to an order of cinnamon rolls.

Inside the stainless steel kitchen, the food is made without a mix, and no preservatives are used.

Shank likes to make sure customers don’t see the same thing every time they come into the bakery. “We try to have new things all the time,” Shank said. “It’s exciting and fun to make a new product.” That is certainly not to say that what they will hand to you now in that little, white bakery box isn’t amazing.

Senior Nadia Mercer works at Shank’s, and believes that their muffins are as moist as they come. The recipes, like squash pie, have been handed down for 50 years. Shank gets into the kitchen at 5:30 a.m. every day to make sure what he’s producing is top-notch.

“If I’m lucky, I get home at 10:30,” he said. “That’s the interesting thing about bakeries. It’s a combination of taste and presentation.”

It’s this combination, with a wide variety of breads, desserts and drinks and the pleasantly calm atmosphere, that makes Shank’s bakery a wonderful place to unwind and grab a bite.

Shank’s Bakery is located at 49-A W. Water St. and is open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.