How To Advertise A Bakery

Village OKs paying $7.5 million for Orland Plaza

By Laura Bollin
staff reporter

Orland Park plans to pay $7.5 million for the Orland Park shopping center, giving its tenants until February to move out.

The Village Board, during a special meeting on Monday, voted to pay the funds over a two-year period.

The actions came after the settlement of the eminent domain lawsuit between the village and the Orland Park Business Corporation, which owns the plaza. The village originally filed eminent domain proceedings in 2008.

The Orland Park Plaza is within the village’s Main Street tax increment financing (TIF) district. The project aims to develop a walkable downtown area on land between the Metra station, 143rd Street and La Grange Road.

Village manager Paul Grimes said the TIF district project requires demolition of Orland Plaza. “We are planning on putting in a street grid system for the TIF district, and that requires demolition of a good portion of the plaza,” he said.

In a statement, Mayor Dan McLaughlin said he was pleased with the agreement to purchase Orland Plaza.

“We’re pleased to announce that after considerable back and forth negotiations, the village and owners of the Orland Plaza Shopping Center have reached an agreement that is a win-win for both sides,” McLaughlin said.

The village previously offered owner George Gee $8.7 million to purchase the site, but the offer was refused. Gee originally offered to sell it to the village for $12.5 million.

The village will receive the entire 7.13-acre site for $7.5 million in three separate acquisitions over a two-year period. The first will take place on Feb. 14, when the village will deposit $2.75 million to the court in just compensation to acquire the property rights to the site that is the subject of pending litigation.

The second acquisition will take place on Feb. 20, when the village will acquire the property west of the future Jefferson Avenue location — nearly all property west of the current Marquette Bank Building, as well as the portion that current houses Orland Video, according to the statement.

The third acquisition will take place two years later, when the village will acquire the property east of the future Jefferson Avenue line. The village will pay $4.75 million to the Orland Park Building Corporation (OPBC) for the second and third acquisitions. The money is payable over a five-year period at a four percent interest rate, with interest compounding beginning on Feb. 20.

Hungarian Bakery Opens | Crozet Gazette

David and Karen Oxford have opened their Hungarian Bakery at Oakhaven Farm off Browns Gap Turnpike, bringing a gluten-free style of baking to Crozet.

The Oxfords, the parents of four, had been living in Charlottesville until two years ago. Now their 12-acre parcel is home also to two Jersey cows, seven goats, some being milked, and 40 chickens, mainly Arauconas (known for their green eggs) and Buff Orpingtons (known for being the best). “We had been looking for a place for animals,” David explained. They did some renovations on the house as well as the conversion of the nearby barn.

They also discovered a family connection with the property. It turns out the dairy barn on the place had been built by one of Karen’s uncles in 1936. It has been renovated to serve as the bakery according to Karen’s design. She was once a line cook, too.

“It’s not big enough for the long-term,” said Karen. “We’re thinking of moving the gluten –free products to a location in downtown Crozet. I want to get them in a separate places to avoid cross-contamination. I suspect that the gluten-free products are going to be the bulk of the business.”

With both type of products being produced in the same kitchen, the clean up to ensure that gluten does not get into the non-gluten products is taxing. Everything has to be vacuumed and mopped between preparations of the different types. They also allow 24 hours between uses for flour to settle out from the air. “We have separate pans and utensils, but one oven. It’s doable, but it’s complicated,” Karen explained. “I’ve been a nurse. I’d rather throw something away than worry about contamination.”

The Oxfords bought the bakery from its former owners, Kati and Miklos Magyar, native Hungarians who moved back to Hungary in May to retire. They ran the bakery for 16 years in Earlysville and Kati also sold at the city market. “We’re not doing that,” noted Karen. She had been a customer of Kati’s at the market and saw the business posted for sale on Craig’s List. “Nine months later, we have a business,” Karen said.

Starting with the advantage that Hungarian style baking does not use much wheat flour in the first place, Kati refined her recipes over 16 years until she had developed gluten-free versions of her normal products that tasted the same.

Karen did an apprenticeship under Kati. “I learned all parts of the business: recipes, bookkeeping, marketing, the website, shipping.

How to advertise a retail store, including mail order advertising and general advertising, a complete and comprehensive manual for promoting publicity

National baker

Career Opportunities in the Food and Beverage Industry

Off-the-wall-marketing ideas, jump-start your sales without busting your budget

Zion