BRUNSWICK

Those with a sugar craving have one more place to get their fix. Bun Bun’s Bake Shop on Bath Road in Brunswick is open for business.

“I’m a home baker. I’ve been baking all of my adult life,” said Laurie Smart-Pottle of Topsham, who owns Bun Bun’s with husband Michael Pottle.

Baking is something she finds very, very peaceful.

“There’s something in my soul that just feels really happy. Especially on a Sunday, after a long, hectic week,” Smart-Pottle said recently. “It just puts me in a relaxed state of mind.”

Smart-Pottle’s workday starts at 3 a.m. in order to start mixing and baking goods from scratch, such as scones, muffins, doughnuts and pastries, before moving onto cupcakes, whoopie pies, cookies, bread and other food made throughout the day.

Smart-Pottle, who teaches online, said she is close to earning her doctorate in instructional technology and distance education. She said she became discouraged, however, with the job market but didn’t want to leave Maine.

“My husband and I said, ‘what can we do to get us prepared for our retirement?’” she said. “He looked at me one night and said, ‘You should just open up your bakery.’ He knows it’s been a dream of mine since I was very young.”

They found space that once belonged to a bakery that Smart-Pottle previously managed at 30A Bath Road, between Bowdoin College and the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, where Smart-Pottle’s father was once stationed.

“I feel like I’m home again,” said Smart- Pottle, who is an Air Force veteran.

Bun Bun’s opened in the midst of the Feb. 2 snowstorm this year.

“And the people still came,” Smart-Pottle said. “It seems Brunswick has a huge sweet tooth.”

Business has been booming since.

Bun Bun’s attracts a lot of morning and afternoon commuters, as well as senior citizens. Smart-Pottle said she wants to attract more Bowdoin College students with the bakery’s home-away-from-home atmosphere and free wifi.

One customer favorite has been a homestyle doughnut baked in a cupcake tin, rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar. Another is a chewy ginger molasses cookie. Both these recipes, she said, contain a pinch of nostalgia.

She and her husband employ six full- and part-time workers, whom she says she empowers to be creative in the kitchen.

Bun Bun’s is not alone in satisfying Brunswick’s sweet tooth. Mainstays Wild Oats Bakery and Frosty’s Donuts have been expanding at new locations at the former base.

“My son is employed at Wild Oats fulltime,” Smart-Pottle said. “The only person I’ve been in competition with is myself. We are just a small, homestyle bakery. Who can beat Frosty’s? Frosty’s has ‘the’ doughnuts. But we have things that are unique to us.”

As far as the shop’s name?

“My husband calls me ‘Bunny’ or ‘Bun Bun’ for short. I don’t know why,” she said with a laugh. “And that’s where the name came from.”

Smart-Pottle envisions eventual expansion of her business. In the meantime, she said she is thrilled with the response her bakery has generated.

“Brunswick has been very generous in their support. It’s a great community,” she said.

Bun Bun’s Bake Shop is open 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Go to www.bunbunsbakeshop.com for more information.

jswinconeck@timesrecord.com

Sweet tooth hours

BUN BUN’S BAKE SHOP is open 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Go to www.bunbunsbakeshop.com for more information.

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