Jefferson Township bakery opening first physical location
JEFFERSON TWP — Just over two years ago, Farmhouse Fancies was a humble home-based business run out of Shaun and Rachel Austin’s kitchen.
Since then, the bakery has boomed in popularity and is in the midst of opening its first brick-and-mortar location, along Route 356 in Jefferson Township.
“We're just really thankful for the community support and excited to meet everybody,” Rachel said. “We wouldn't be here without all the people in this community helping us. This is what the community has helped us build.”
The two have been working since early April to prepare the space for its grand opening, which Shaun expects to take place by the end of June.
“We signed the lease already, and we have our opening inspection scheduled,” Shaun said. “We'll be baking all of our product here. By the end of June, we will be open to the public.
He said they still have some electrical work to do and cleaning before they bring their equipment to the space.
“We have to get all of our equipment here, which is going to be the biggest part,” he said. “We have a lot of large equipment.”
Shaun and Rachel started Farmhouse Fancies in early 2024, when the couple decided to take a chance on selling Rachel’s sourdough bread to the general public.
“We really like to grow and make our own food, and sourdough bread was the next thing on my personal list to make for my family,” Rachel said. “Once I started making it, Sean said we could sell this.”
Farmhouse Fancies started by selling their baked goods at farmers markets and events such as Saxonburg’s Mingle on Main. Quickly, they found that people had taken a liking to their product. By 2025, the Austins’ baked goods could be found at stores and restaurants, such as Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market, Cummings Coffee, Freedom Farms, and Brenckle's Farms & Greenhouses.
“We just had so many people support us that we had to move into a local restaurant and bake out of their kitchen,” Rachel said.
That restaurant was The Bonniebrook in Summit Township. According to Rachel, the two established a relationship early in Farmhouse Fancies’ existence. That relationship evolved into a good deal for the Austins.
“I was only about three months into Farmhouse Fancies officially,” Rachel said. “One of the waitresses there contacted me, and she said, ‘We'd love to have you for a bake sale.’ And I went up there and sold out.
“And they said, ‘We'd love to work with you any way that we can.’”
When the business grew too big to operate from an at-home kitchen, she reached out.
“They said, ‘We'll take your product and sell it in our restaurant in exchange for rent,’” she said. “It was a really nice deal.”
The space on North Pike Road that Farmhouse Fancies is soon to occupy has a colorful history. Until recently, it was the home to the On The Lamb restaurant.
“It was On The Lamb, and then before that it was The Eatery, and I think before that it was an ice cream place,” Shaun said. “I think it sat vacant for almost a year before we moved in.”
The Austins plan to offer an expanded lineup at their new location, which they describe as a walk-in bakery.
“This area is going to be open to the public,” Rachel said. “We'll have grab-and-go foods, breads, muffins, and a stocked cooler. Our main thing is high-quality organic ingredients. We're really trying to stay local with high-quality ingredients, with everything that we sell here.”
