Fourth Estate Newspaper

Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Life

Countless display cases line up with treats that will satisfy any sweet toot inside Uncle Mike's.

For those with a sweet tooth, Green Bay provides multiple options for a quick fix. One of the most awarded and original options, is Uncle Mike's Bakeshop, with locations in De Pere and Howard.
Uncle Mike's has been a De Pere institution for years. Conveniently located between the middle and high schools, Uncle Mike's is a hubbub of activity, especially before and after school. The students know right away what they want, and the little ones enjoy pressing their noses to the bakery window glass to check out the newest cake or cookie concoction, sometimes adorned with their favorite cartoon characters.
Walking into the bakeshop will bring an aroma of fresh bread, dough and sugar. There are cases filled with muffins, breads, bars, brownies, cakes, individual desserts, cookies, donuts and more. To accompany your sweet fix, milk, juice, gourmet coffee or hot drinks can quench your thirst after a brownie or bar.
I visited Uncle Mike's three times, twice in the last five weeks. Both times, I was greeted with smiles and personable attitudes from the baking attendants in their token beanies and rainbow colored shirts which brightens up the atmosphere.
"I like to put a smile on people's faces," Mike Vande Walle, the owner of Uncle Mike's bake shop explains. "The hats put a smile on peoples' faces right away. The shirts are colorful and bright and make it more cheery, we want to make peoples' day."
Vande Walle explained they received positive feedback and the outfits have provided more recognition and has helped as a marketing tool. Wherever you go in the community, people know Uncle Mike's.
The ambiance is simple and homey. The design is personal and intimate; shelves line the walls with knick knacks, bagged goodies, and Door County coffee. There are only a few tables; however, the main clientele is more the type to grab a quick goodie for a weekend breakfast treat, or a snack before/after school or work, so the effort is placed in providing as many options for baked goods rather than providing seating arrangements.
The people who work at Uncle Mike's are specially chosen for the specific talents and capabilities.
"We want people who are going to take care of the customers," he said. "We start at 5:00 p.m. and bake all night long so we want people who have the initiative and are willing to work all night long."
The effort these bakers put into their craft is worthwhile. The times I have travelled to Uncle Mike's Bakeshop, I have tried: two bars, two muffins and two types of gourmet coffee. These were delicious and I cannot wait to go back. The cost is very little, the brownie was only a dollar. How can one go wrong with a mint layer brownie that melts in your mouth. Even with people tightening their wallets, Uncle Mike's continues to go on strong thanks to personalized service, quality homemade goodies and low prices.
Vande Walle noted that bakeries really don't get hurt from the recession He said that people are taking the time to enjoy the smaller pleasures since they cannot necessarily afford the larger ones.
"Our sales have not been hurt at all," he said. "We are the old fashioned type place; we peel our own apples for our apple pie."
To continue sales and the opportunity for customers to get a taste of the fresh products, Vande Walle has an outlook for getting the word out, about Uncle Mike's.
"For us, sampling really sells," he said. "Getting the word out that there is a good tasting bakery, not just here but in other places in Green Bay. It's said people settle for the so-so stuff, like in grocery stores, they can stop and enjoy the better things."
Uncle Mike's can be found at 2514 Lineville Rd., Green Bay and 1840 Dickinson Rd. in De Pere.

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