All Good Almost Set to Open Shop - 160 A Quail St.

Hello again dear friends & fans!  I can't believe we haven't posted anything for 6 weeks, but we have been working furiously to get our first-ever retail location open.  If you've been keeping up with us on Facebook, you know we're waiting to get an exhaust fan installed per code regulations - as soon as that's completed and we receive our Certificate of Occupancy from the City, we'll be opening our doors at 160 A Quail St.!  We're hoping against hope that everything will come together Thursday, we can start prepping bread and baked goods on Friday, and open on Saturday at 11:00 am (April 2). 

Sign by Christine's Mosaics!

We anticipated starting our very first brick and mortar business would be challenging, and we've had our fair share of hurdles to leap over - the first of which was finding a kitchen in Albany to rent at an affordable rate, (we're extremely lucky it came with an attractive retail space).  Making it through the winter with that additional overhead and less income has forced us to be creative & scrupulous.  We found furniture through Craigslist, bartered to get a bread rack built, found some retail partners, scraped together just enough to pay for permits, equipment and paint.  Navigating the permit process was daunting, but here we are at the last stages before opening and we're anxious to complete these ever-loving last steps so we can greet you all face to face on a regular basis!  We owe a big thanks to our 49 Community Supported Bakery families and all of you other fans & customers who have cheered us on all winter.  Without your support and encouragement, we would not have made it this far.

We'll continue to use 100% Organic Flours, our White and Spelt are 100% NY-grown, our Whole Wheat is 90% from NY, and we will partner with the same trusted local suppliers we've been developing relationships with this winter, like Champlain Valley Milling Co, Meadowbrook Dairy, Farmer Jon's Produce, Adirondack Maple Farm, Mike's Spice, etc. 

Here's an idea of how the shop will work to start:

HOURS

Service will begin with limited weekend hours to start, with probable expansion in the summer.  Please call ahead for bulk orders if possible!  We don't want to create a lot of waste so we'll be working on balancing the right quantity with demand.  We'll be applying for an outdoor café permit, and will acquire some tables & chairs if Spring ever decides to actually get here.  We have a new bakery Phone: 518-463-1349 and answering machine!

Fridays: 11-6

Saturdays: 11-4

Sundays: 10-2 (small brunch menu)

MENU

All Good will continue to offer the items Community Supported Bakery members and Delmar Farmers Market customers have come to crave like Upstate Bialys, Seasonal Wholegrain Muffins and Buttermilk Scones, Vegan Cinnamon Buns, Biscotti, Crispy Brown Rice Energy Treats, English Muffins and Rolls, as well as our 5 Daily Breads ($6.00 and $3.00 for 1.5 lb whole & .75 lb half loaves): Hearty Multigrain, Rustic Italian and Rye (all naturally vegan), and Whole Wheat and Spelt (with local organic honey), plus White and Whole Wheat Sourdough Baguettes ($3.00) and a limited variety of Specialty Loaves ($6.50, 1.5 lb). 

We're excited to announce we'll be adding Specialty Focaccia (by the slice or whole) topped with local produce and cheeses, as a new item to our roster.  On Sundays, we will be offering Handmade Croissants and Seasonal Quiche (by the slice), also made with fresh, local ingredients. Focaccia and Quiches will be priced seasonally. 

 Environmental Initiatives:

• In an effort to reduce Albany’s carbon footprint, anyone who arrives at the shop without a car will be offered a 10% discount off his or her purchase.

• Fair-trade, organic regular coffee will be served for $1.00; however, no paper cups will be used in our establishment to help reduce neighborhood and local landfill trash.  A few mugs will be provided in-house, but we encourage you to “Bring Your Own Cup for a Buck”! Meadowbrook cream and whole milk, as well as WestSoy unsweetened organic Soymilk and Wholesome Sweeteners organic fair-trade raw sugar will be available. 

• Loaves will be wrapped in parchment instead of plastic, and handmade bread bags will be sold for a nominal price within a few weeks of opening.

• We are partnering with local business, County Waste, for our waste management; we plan to recycle as much as possible to reduce landfill trash.  County Waste provides single stream recycling services at the Port of Albany.

Community Involvement:

• Leftover bakery items will be donated to Albany Catholic Charities’ Mercy House Womens Shelter and Refugee Resettlement Program.  28 loaves have been sponsored so far by Community Supported Bakery shareholders, with at least 24 more expected by the end of April.

•  In an effort to give other small, local producers a commercial space to prepare their wares, we began sharing our kitchen in November 2010 with Alessandro Gerbini (“Gatherer’s Granola”, www.gatherersgranola.com ).  A variety of Gatherer’s Granola will be available at the shop.  We will continue to support other small local producers with affordable, short-term kitchen rental, and have a few prospects for this in the works.

• We plan to work with other Pine Hills small business owners, residents and students to help make the area a more pleasant place to live. This will be an ongoing effort, we'll report to you as partnerships arise.  We already are forming relationships with Tom Genovese at The Sunspot Cafe and Anton Pasquill at Hudson River Coffee House.

The snowstorm coming our way isn't encouraging news or an April Fool's joke, but after we do manage to open the bakery, we know all of the frustrating challenges we've encountered will melt away and we can say again with ease, "No Problem" (Sans Souci).  It's All Good.  We'll keep you updated on how Thursday goes and we hope you'll all come visit us!

Your bakers,

Britin & Nick Foster

AGB Bakery items also available through the following venues:

• The Heldeberg Market (www.heldebergmarket.com), Albany’s online Farmers Market

• Organica (http://www.organicanewyork.com/), Albany’s Organic Garden Supply and Local Foods Shop, 296 Delaware Ave.

• Saturday Delmar Farmers Market, (http://www.delmarmarket.org/), June through December, Bethlehem Middle School, 332 Kenwood Ave.,