Still toying with ideas....

Mrs.Thistletwat

My parents were over for dinner last night and while we were eating dessert (cookies I had made) we started talking about baking as a side business.

H had an interesting idea. He thinks (if I'm serious about doing this) that I should go to some of the local NYC smaller bakeries and see if one of them would give me a little case-space or a tray. That way I'd have access to their professional kitchen and could possibly fly under their licensing. 

 What do you all think?

GBCK

that has promise...

although, before you do anything w/t he public, incoroprate.  LLC, INC, whatever.

Just do something.  the legal protection is necessary.  (and I'm probably preaching to the choir :0)

dharmabunny

What's the worst they'd say?

 Either "no" or a "maybe" with some qualifiers to it

 Those qualifiers might be enough to live with initially.
 

Mrs.Thistletwat

If I do this I'd actually go ahead and get my own license. And a written contract. Notarized and examined by my lawyer

**Stinky!**

Here's a thought - see if any local hospitals would sell it in their gift shop. Ours is run by the Auxiliary (i.e. a bunch of old ladies) and they sell these amazing pies that a woman bakes out of her house. She's licensed and goes through inspections, so her stuff's legit. And they always put out her business cards with the pies. She's gotten a lot of word-of-mouth business.

Mrs.Thistletwat

**Stinky!**:

Here's a thought - see if any local hospitals would sell it in their gift shop. Ours is run by the Auxiliary (i.e. a bunch of old ladies) and they sell these amazing pies that a woman bakes out of her house. She's licensed and goes through inspections, so her stuff's legit. And they always put out her business cards with the pies. She's gotten a lot of word-of-mouth business.

 The problem with this is that in NY State you need to have a commercial kitchen space even if you're a "home-based" bakery. 

H's thinking on this was so that I can avoid some of the up-front cost of renting a commercial space by using the already established bakery's.

*Candi*

I am kind of with Stinky on this one. My friend has a cousin that owns a shop selling all that monogrammed, polka dot crap and she rents tables to other people. The only issue here is that it's a bit out of the way of main traffic and a 30 minute trip for me.

If you could do something like that I think it would be a great way to start, however with the  NY rule regarding kitchens you need the help of a bakery.

 I would ask, the worst that they could say is "no" and if they say yes you can use the profit to save for rental of  a place of your own.

 

I am sure that in this economy they would welcome the extra business that it would generate as someone there to buy your stuff will probably buy something of theirs as well, plus they would get the "rental" money from you.

Mrs.Thistletwat

That's the idea. The start up capital is a little too much for me at the moment. If I had access to a commercial kitchen, I'd also be able to open up mail-order. It's definitely something to really research and get on. It certainly can't hurt.

A side note - I've got a list of things I want to try next. The WS Essentials of Baking book has some great recipes!