What started as a joke quickly turned into reality when Caroline Kemp and Beth Funkey opened the storefront for the first British Bakery named, “What the Dickens?”. They opened their storefront in downtown Hastings this past June and had worked out of the kitchen of the bistro below Wine Styles prior. The bakery offers sweet treats of every variety, from traditional British baked goods like lavender biscuits, or flapjacks to the classic cake for any occasion.
Opening a storefront in the midst of a pandemic made everything tougher for Kemp and Funkey but they were able to adapt to the situation and keep baking through it all. “What the Dickens?” received the award for “Best Small Business of 2020” from the Downtown Business Association.
“We were incredibly surprised and honored, and having this accomplishment the same year we opened our storefront made it all the better,” Funkey said.
Whilst trying to open a storefront for their business brought some challenges, COVID-19 brought its own obstacles to overcome.
“We struggled to open our storefront and actually ended up having to close for a couple of months but ever since we started this process we have aimed to be the place where everything is done in the safest way possible so that customers can feel comfortable,” Funkey said.
With the decision on where they would open their storefront, there was no question that they would open in downtown Hastings.
“Caroline and I really like the small-town support that comes with opening a business and in turn, being able to give back to the community,” Funkey said.
With opening their British Bakery, Kemp and Funkey had one goal in mind.
“We saw this as an opportunity to show people that we do deserve to have cool businesses that make us feel special and can help people to learn about a different culture,” Funkey said.
Photo Courtesy of: http://www.hastingstribune.com/
