Photos by Linda Campos

Mayflour opened as a custom cake business in 2013. Long before owner Jocelyn Pierce started the business, however, she was perfecting her baking skills. Pierce grew up in a home that made (not bought) their baked goods, an environment that helped her become a skilled home baker. She started a career in retail, continued baking and became the designated person who always brought dessert to gatherings. Friends and coworkers began requesting cakes, and eventually one of Pierce’s friends asked her to make the couple’s wedding cake. More celebration cakes followed, and before long she was steadily baking for others while still working retail. Eventually Pierce decided to take the plunge and bake full time. She left her career in the Boston area, set off for Chicago and enrolled in The French Pastry School.

Rockport’s strong community of small businesses and creators drew Pierce north of Boston following graduation. She opened her commercial kitchen there and began creating exquisitely beautiful and delicious cakes for weddings and other special events. Mayflour’s cakes quickly garnered Best of Boston and BONS awards and effusive press. Before long, her cake business was well established. But something was missing. By its nature, the wedding cake business involves a one-time transaction, often with people not living nearby. So, she decided to take over available adjacent space and open a storefront.

Pierce explains, “I was really missing a connection to my local community. Couples were coming to me from all over, and the interaction would be brief. I found myself wanting to engage more with my neighbors and friends, and with other local businesses. That was really the catalyst for opening the coffee shop.”

Mayflour’s retail shop opened in November 2017 on Small Business Saturday. When I visited this fall, the bakery case included, among other items, a spectacular honey spelt cake made with an orange blossom glaze, pyramid-shaped coconut macaroons and cinnamon-sugar-topped “beach buns.”

Despite COVID-19 related hiccups, she’s meeting her goal of becoming better known locally. A steady stream of customers entered the cheerful and inviting Mayflour Confections store while we spoke, pulled in partly by the scent of fresh-baked gluten-free coconut loaves wafting outside. She’s deeply grateful for the community’s support and has drawn energy from her shopkeeper role. Customers appreciate the carefully selected, seasonally inspired ingredients and love that her products taste as good as they look.

Food should taste like what it’s made from, Pierce notes, with a thoughtful balance of flavor, texture and sweetness. She is deeply committed to using high-quality ingredients sourced locally when possible and organic when local isn’t possible. She values her strong connections with many local growers and providers and values the contributions they make to her business.

The slower pace during COVID has given Pierce time to reflect on the direction of the business. She plans to increase the shop’s offerings and hours. Recipe development has become a big focus of her creative energy. She’s working on expanding her selection of ‘entertaining’ cakes, which have become very popular for smaller-scale gatherings. The wedding and celebration cake business, storefront and her cookie box offerings also have kept her busy. Still, she stresses that for her, boundaries are as important as growth:

“I think it’s so important that small businesses support one another. I don’t think a business needs to try to be everything to everyone, and I believe there is room for all of us. If businesses keep their growth focused on what they do best and what they are most passionate about, it leaves space for others to do what they are most passionate about and we all can thrive.”

Mayflour is clearly thriving at 5 Whistlestop Mall in Rockport, just a short walk from Rockport’s Commuter Rail Station.

mayflourconfections.com

This story appeared in the Winter 2022 issue.