HomeTowne Bakes By The Mad Baker

Perhaps it’s the ultimate irony that a bakery now occupies the location where once a dentist plied his trade.

Owned by best friends (and self-proclaimed non-biological sisters) Carrie Reed and Megan Eddings, HomeTowne Bakes by the Mad Baker, 16 N. Miami St., first opened its doors on March 31, 2023 and is located a stone’s throw from the building which formerly house the once beloved community staple Pearson House Restaurant, which shuttered its doors last year after 41 years in business.

“This is our first storefront business, and while there have definitely been challenges, each one has made us stronger,” said Eddings. “Small businesses are hard – especially in a tiny town – but we’re still here, still standing, and still doing what we love. Our humor shows up in everything we do, especially in our cupcakes and their names.”

The business originated as a home bakery called The Mad Baker. But when the West Milton natives sought to open their own brick-and-mortar location, they wanted a name that honored their hometown. They also didn’t want to abandon their roots, so what resulted was the amalgamated appellation, HomeTowne Bakes by the Mad Baker.

And just how did the sobriquet “The Mad Baker” originate? Reed would bake incessantly, and her husband often brought her baked goods into work to share with his co-workers. Eventually, one of his workmates joked that he needed to “make the mad baker stop.”

“The name stuck, and honestly, it fits,” said Eddings. “We see ourselves as mad scientists of baked goods: experimenting, pushing boundaries, trying weird ideas. Sometimes it works brilliantly…and sometimes we pretend certain experiments (like the Nerds cookies) never happened.”

In 2022, the dynamic duo decided to “go big or go home” and opened the new business together. They chose the location previously occupied by the tooth puller and found it to still be set up like a dentist’s office. With some assistance from their spouses and Reed’s father, the pair worked nights and weekends to complete renovations and get it looking as a bakery should.

Neither woman took the traditional path to owning a bakery. Reed studied interior design in college and spent many years as a military spouse. While moving around the country and raising four children, she baked everywhere she resided. Eddings studied nursing and worked as a surgical ophthalmic technician. But Reed pulled her into baking, and eventually she left her career to stay home with her children and bake on the side. It turns out she was pursuing a separate career path.

The bakers specialize in custom cakes, with cookie and cake decorating being their true passion. With a natural talent for decorating and an eye for design, most cake ideas belong to Reed. Eddings’ forte is baking, and she has expanded her repertoire to include decorating over the years. 

Each having lived briefly in the Lone Star State, they introduced kolaches to local patrons when they first opened the shop, which are sweet Czech pastries and a beloved Texas staple.

“What truly sets us apart is how we approach dessert,” said Eddings. “All of our cupcakes have intentionally creative, often humorous names. Other bakeries sell dessert – we sell dessert with context.”

The pair enjoy being decision makers, playing by their own rules, and sharing a love of their hometown.

“We both live in West Milton, grew up here, and went to school here,” said Eddings. “This town isn’t just where our bakery is – it’s home.”

Eddings said that at the end of the day their bakery is about community, creativity and not taking themselves too seriously. 

“Baked goods should be fun, flavorful, and a little unhinged – in the best way,” she said. “We’re proud to be women-owned, hometown-rooted and unapologetically ourselves.”

HomeTowne Bakes by the Mad Baker is open for business Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. They can be reached by calling (937) 719-8033 or on Facebook at facebook.com/TheMadBaker83. They are located at 16 N. Miami St., West Milton.