
The sweet smell of fresh-baked bread floated out of the bakery at 418 Main St. in Edmonds for the first time during the second week of December 1923. The baker, F. E. Young, would never have thought that the aroma of baked goods would continue there for the next 100 years. But that is the reality, as The Edmonds Bakery celebrates its 100th anniversary on Main Street this year.
The Bakery’s History Pre-1923
The bakery actually began in 1916 when pioneer baker Fred Sticker opened the Danish American Bakery and then moved it to another location in 1917. The exact locations of the bakery at those junctures have apparently been lost in history.
Three years later (1920) Fred Sticker sold the bakery for the first time to Mr. and Mrs. G.G. Everson, but five months later he bought the bakery back. Then in December 1921, Fred Sticker sold the bakery for a second time to Baker & Deitcher, and departed Edmonds.
Henry Deitcher operated the Danish American Bakery until August 1923, when sadly the bakery burned to the ground. Two months later, the remains of the bakery were sold to F.E. Young. Space became available at 418 Main St. when The Princess Theater moved across the street, and F.E. Young opened the Edmonds Electric Bakery’s door for the first time in December 1923.
Fire, Fire, Fire!
For the next four-and-a-half years, F. E. Young successfully ran the bakery. Then tragically, on April 11, 1928, a fire broke out in the back room of the Edmonds Club, which was adjacent to the bakery in the wooden frame building. By the time the fire was discovered, it was so intense that it spread across the street, burning the top of the Princess Theater and damaging other buildings around the bakery.
The Edmonds volunteer fire department was finally able to extinguish the fire with the aid of the Greenwood Fire Department that had raced up from Seattle. The bakery was heavily damaged, suffering more than $5,000 in losses.
Five days later, Henry Chandler — the building’s owner — announced that he was going to immediately build a concrete building in the same space, and The Edmonds Electric Bakery and The Edmonds Club would remain as tenants. Approximately six weeks later, the bakery was back in business.
Sticker’s Return:
Despite the new concrete building, F. E. Young decided to sell the bakery four months later. Lo and behold, Fred Sticker again became the owner, upon returning to Edmonds after a seven-year absence. A Seattle Daily Times article dated Jan. 5, 1929 documents that Fred Sticker had owned the bakery seven years prior to F.E. Young’s entry into the field of baking.
Not surprisingly, Fred Sticker sold the bakery for a third time nine months later — to Andy Lorentzen from Concrete — and Lorentzen changed the name of the bakery to “The Bon Ton Bakery.” But as history shows, Fred Sticker bought the bakery back once again three years later (1932), and renamed it “Sticker’s Bake Shop.”
Varying from his previous short stints as the bakery’s owner, Sticker successfully ran the bakery and its home delivery service for the next five years, 1932-1937.
In April 1937, Sticker sold the bakery for a fourth and final time to G. J. Friese from Seattle, and the bakery was renamed “Friese’s Home Bakery.” Friese only operated the bakery for sixteen months, selling it to Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Usher in December, 1938. The Ushers renamed the bakery “The Edmonds Bakery” for the first time.
The Ushers operated the bakery for the next five years, selling it to Gerton Dallas and William Pakkala in August 1943. Similar to the Ushers, Dallas and Pakkala ran the bakery for a relatively short time, selling it to T.R. Ward and R.E. Carr four years later, in September 1947.
Stability for the Next 14 Years
From the autumn of 1947 until January 1961, Ward and Carr ran the bakery successfully for the longest period in the bakery’s history. During their tenure, the City of Edmonds apparently tried varying approaches to attract people to the downtown area. Around the Christmas season of 1959, the city ran a 45-day experiment. Main Street from Third Avenue eastward to Fifth Avenue was blocked off to create a “walking mall.” The goal was to provide shoppers access to the shops, stores and restaurants in the area without having to worry about traffic. Signs were placed at the ends of the blocked-off area, denoting “Welcome to Edmonds: Visit Washington’s First City Walking Mall.”
Reactions from customers and merchants to the experiment varied greatly. T.R. Ward, one of the owners of the Edmonds Bakery, was quoted as saying, “I think it will hurt business in the long run. I don’t think people will want to walk a block or two on rainy days carrying packages.” Apparently he was right, as the city did not move forward with the idea.
In January 1961, Ward and Carr sold the bakery to Harry Bentz. Bentz had previously been the plant superintendent at The Grandma’s Cookie Company in Seattle. The sale was announced in the Edmonds Tribune Review on Jan. 9 via a combined announcement and advertisement.
Returning to the pattern of somewhat shorter ownerships, Bentz sold the bakery five years later (April 1966) to Eric Savage. Savage was a well-known person within the baking community, as he had previously owned bakeries and was a baker within the Tradewell Stores.
Eric Savage ran the bakery for the next five-and-a-half years. At that juncture, he unfortunately suffered a severe heart attack. With the aid and assistance of other bakers who had worked with him, the bakery was sold to Joe and Carol Erga in the autumn of 1972.
At that point, the bakery on Main Street was celebrating its 50th anniversary, despite having multiple owners and name changes. But that was not to be the case for the next 50 years. Since 1972, the bakery’s name has remained the same, and there have only been two owners.
The Bakery Becomes THE Place to Meet:
Just as Joe and Carol Erga were taking over the bakery in 1972, Edmonds was beginning a beautification project of downtown. The Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, along with local businessman J. Ward Phillips — who paid for most of the paint and labor — were painting many of the storefronts in downtown Edmonds. The Edmonds Bakery and the tavern next door were two of the first buildings to be painted.
The Ergas’ operation was truly a family affair. Joe, who had a lot of bakery experience, was the lead baker working alongside a number of assistants. His wife Carol, who had worked previously as a baker in the Edmonds School District, worked in all areas of the bakery.
Their daughters Barbara and Crystal also worked in the bakery. Around 1985, Barbara painted a new sign and wall panels that adorned the bakery’s exterior for many years.
Under the Ergas’ management the Edmonds Bakery became “the place” to meet as recounted in multiple articles of the time. In an article published in the Edmonds Enterprise dated April 19, 1978, there were numerous comments to this affect:
- “Everybody who is anyone is down here before nine in the morning.”
- “More deals are made in here….lawyers bring in their clients, and real estate salesman meet their buyers here.”
- “You can come in and read the paper and get the scuttlebutt on what’s happening in town while you have a cup of coffee and a donut.”
Additionally, the bakery became one of the favorite places to take a field trip if you were a student in the Edmonds School District. Students always left with a variety of baked goods while learning about the bakery profession.
Rosalynn: A Hometown Hero
During the first years of the 1980s, Edmonds fell in love with Rosalynn Sumners, a hometown girl who was the U.S. National Champion figure skater in 1982 and 1984. She was also the world champion in 1983 and the silver medalist in the 1984 Winter Olympics.
The bakery proudly displayed an image of Rosalynn in their front window along with signs stating “I Love Roz” as she competed in the Olympics. The bakery continued to be the main place to meet and revel in Rosalynn’s accomplishments.
As time passed, the bakery continued to be a key pillar in the community and it expanded its business to provide fresh baked goods to local businesses and restaurants.
The Variety Of Baked Goods
The Seattle Times ran a column in the mid-1980s entitled “Eat On Your Feet.” In their Sept. 21, 1986 issue they featured locales in Edmonds, and the Edmonds Bakery was one of the establishments highlighted. The article stated: “On your way to the ferry dock, or the beach adjacent to it, you’ll pass The Edmonds Bakery, 418 Main Street. It looks like an old fashion bakery; the baker, Joe Erga in his whites, takes a morning break and sits in the corner chatting with a customer.
In the pastry case are rows of cookies that look like the ones grandma used to make, alongside muffins, large cinnamon crispies, and little pastry pockets filled with apples. Get a dozen cookies ($2) (don’t miss the molasses crinkles, the peanut butter cookies or the tiny chocolate sandwich cookies shaped like dolls).”
After this 1986 Times article was published, the Ergas carried on the tradition and quality they had established for seven more years. In August 1993, after more than 20 years of serving the Edmonds community, the Ergas retired and turned the reins of the bakery over to Ken Bellingham.
Building Upon the Tradition and Legacy
When Ken Bellingham took over the day-to-day operations of the bakery, he continued to use many of the same recipes and processes that the bakery’s customers had come to enjoy. Of course, over the past 30 years some things have changed.
Certainly today’s customers continue to enjoy the fresh baked goods that are baked every day by Ken and his son Joe. But in addition to the daily fare, the bakery has become known as the place to go to get specially designed cakes. It is estimated that Ken bakes over 200 specialty cakes every year. They range from fairly simple to elaborate birthday cakes; cakes for corporate events, graduations, anniversaries, commemorations and, of course, beautiful wedding cakes.
One of the other unique attractions to the bakery is the amazing collection of cookie jars that Ken has collected over the years. The cookie jars are displayed on the shelves surrounding the front of the bakery. There are an estimated 250 to 300 unique jars on display, with some of them dating back possibly as far as the late 1930s or early 1940s.
On March 13, 2003, the Edmonds Beacon ran an article chronically a portion of the then-existing collection. In the article, Ken explained, “I wanted to make the bakery a fun place to come to, and my wife Sandra suggested the cookie jars. We bought some Christmas cookie jars and thought we would sell them, but we just kept them. Now I don’t part with any of them.” As the years have passed, the collection has grown and become more diverse. You can see cookie jars depicting cartoon characters, movie stars, automobiles and motorcycles — and more. Originally, the goal was to have a thousand unique cookie jars, but the bakery simply doesn’t have enough shelf space for that many.
As the years have passed, the bakery has had a number of additional complimentary articles written about it, including Seattle Times beat writers; as well as John Owens and Joanne Peterson for the Beacon.
But the bakery also got caught up in an unfortunate incident in 2019. In that polarizing year, then-President Trump’s immigration policies were forefront in the news. When a Valentine’s Day cookie with the words “Build The Wall” inscribed on it was accidently put out in the pastry case, and seen by a customer, it generated community controversy.
Ken Bellingham stated that the Valentine cookie was meant as a joke between family members with different political leanings, and was not supposed to be sold to the public. People on both sides of the political aisle quickly jumped onto the issue, and the bakery received considerable attention from local, regional and national media who represented both critics and proponents.
A Long and Lasting Legacy
Today, as the bakery enters its 100th year, people come into the business, marvel at the cookie jars and point out the ones that their mother, grandmother or they had as a child. Young children accompanied by their parents often sit down in the booths, and point out cookie jar characters they recognize while munching on a freshly baked cookie.
But the allure of the bakery for many of us is its rich and enduring history. It is truly a testament of its quality and uniqueness.
You can still see the original hardwood floors in the back that were installed after the 1928 fire destroyed the original wooden building. You can also look at the historical photos and other pieces of memorabilia that have been a part of the bakery’s history over the last 100 years.
Just imagine the conversations that went on inside the walls of the bakery during the good and bad times of the past century. If the walls could only talk!
Of course, it doesn’t hurt to experience the sweet smell of fresh-baked bread, or taste some of the delicious fresh-baked cinnamon rolls, Danish, apple fritters, maple bars and the bakery’s famous “chicken bones” as you reflect on this wonderful place’s rich history.
— Researched and written by Edmonds resident Byron Wilkes. Thanks go to the Edmonds Historical Museum, the Edmonds and Lynnwood libraries, Sno-Isle Genealogical Society, the archives of The Seattle Times and the Edmonds Beacon, Carol Erga, and Ken and Joe Bellingham for their assistance in this year-long research project.
Thank you for this great article – we have been going there for over 30+ years. When our kids were little, we would walk down every Sat morning to say hi to Joe and Carol – they even let the kids go in the back and see what they did or use the bathroom. They even got their own apple juice from the cooler! now the kids are older with families of their own and we still go see Ken on a regular basis! Love me a good “Chicken Bone”
Thanks Tom for the comment and remembrance. I have heard many wonderful stories about Joe and Carol as I did the research for this article. Ken has carried on the tradition that they started by making the bakery a welcoming place.
Thank you , Byron and all who contributed to this exhaustive and fascinating article. I hope the city will see fit to plant a brass plaque in the sidewalk at the bakery. I read somewhere that the bakery site was the location of the Princess theater. You indicate this in the article. Any thoughts here? Ed Gordon
Ed just saw this comment and yes the bakery site was originally the site of the Princess Theater before it moved across the street to its current location. If you do a search on My Edmonds News for an article entitled Behind The Scenes At The Edmonds Theater you will find an article I researched and helped write with Sam Spencer on the Edmonds Theater’s history as well.
Ken, has been very generous over the years. He also makes TONS of goods to give away at Halloween and other occasions. He has made many specialty cakes for me over the years. One of my favorite cakes he made was when I had a “Blazing Saddles “ party. (Cake was hilarious) He has made many different cookies for me. Tea Party, Ballet, horse, Cheer you name it and he has created for me. I usually order dozens at a time. They are a fabulous price and adults and kids love them. Great tasting. Keep on keep on…Ken
Ps…the Chicken Bones are killer….
Byron — Great story about one of the many special treasures of Edmonds. I always loved to stop by for one of their maple bars and a cup of hot chocolate, and just relax. Betty
What a fun and informative article. We often enjoy a good treat from Edmonds Bakery and have had Ken and team make personalized cookies for weddings, parties and guests. Thank you for a good read.
Well researched article, Byron, filling in another piece of the Edmonds History Puzzle. Thank you.
I enjoyed the article immensely — excellent research. Byron, your article is right up there with Betty Lou Gaeng’s articles informing us of Edmonds’ rich history.
I’ve lived here since 1973 and have been going to the Edmonds Bakery since then. It’s very ‘Edmonds’ and a wonderful place to go. My kids have grown up with it and looking at the cookie jars to spot a new one. I’m glad you mentioned the Chicken Bones because they are delicious! Thanks for the history of this great place.
As a child, my family sat at the curb in front of the bakery every year for the Independence Day Parade. That was our spot, and it is one of my fondest memories of growing up in Edmonds. My aunt, Shirley Finley, was a daily visitor at the bakery for many years. The staff was very generous with their friendship and accommodated her special needs. She was often seen helping out clearing tables and refilling coffee cups. When she passed in 2011, my family felt that a fitting tribute would be to place memorial benches outside the bakery. I love seeing people enjoy a moment on those benches. Thank you, Ken and staff, for making the bakery a special place for everyone.
I well remember the political cookie incident and not that it was a “joke” between family members as Ken continued to sell the cookies. In fact, he doubled down and made additional right wing political slogan cookies. As soon as that happened, I have not set foot in the bakery. I remember Maureen, she was a lovely lady and this is an interesting article but let’s not sweep what Ken did during the Trump years under the rug.
Carol, I’m glad you moved on. Your intolerance for anything other than your view shows. Thank you for not going any longer.
Thank you, Ken and Joe, for your hard work in keeping the Edmonds Bakery part of our community. Ken, your generous spirit is very much appreciated.
Great story about a treasured long lasting Edmonds business. I remember going there in the fifties with my mother to buy bread when Bob Carr was one of the owners. Bob was also a family friend. I would get the occasional free sugar cookie. Then we got to watch the fresh bread being run through the slicer. Entertainment before the advent of TV. Congratulations to the current owners keeping it going. It is a hard business with baking starting long before dawn. Hope it lasts another 100 years.
Thank you for the well researched article. I was hoping to read the backstory of the Dutch boy and girl painted on the walls outside the bakery. I have been taking a photo of my grandson in front of the Dutch boy on Christmas Eve for 10 or so years to document his height as he has grown. He’s now 17 and I moved north so we are a little off schedule but plan to catch up again soon. It’s been a special tradition for us which I treasure so I thank Edmonds Bakery for the adorable artwork.
Such a fun article! When our kids were little we visited every week. They adored Maureen!
I went to high school with Ken and was thrilled to see him upon my moving to Edmonds several years ago. His bakery represents the history and goodwill of Edmonds. I am thrilled for his success and solid standing in Edmond’s history. Well done Ken!
Love to meet up with pals at the Bakery for coffee and their pigs in a blanket for breakfast. I consider this a health food.
This was a great story. I have stopped in a number of times for a cookie etc. Taken guests who used to visit us from across the country. What are the “chicken bones?” I was wondering if they do or will make the old fashioned Cream Puffs? The ones that are filled with the light yellow custard and the powdered sugar on the outside. I loved those and haven’t seen one out here in the 36 years I have lived in WA. I would love to buy some of these. Just reading this makes me hungry for yummies. It does sound like a wonderful place. I too hope it lasts another 100 years.
Deborah, Ken often makes items that they don’t normally bake as special orders for folks. You might go in and ask him if he would bake you some. You probably would have to purchase a couple dozen to make it worthwhile unless Ken wants to also put some out in his display case for additional sales.
Thank you Byron. I will do that. Maybe I can share them here and there! Deb.
Maureen Wyatt – from Yorkshire, England – was a friendly bakery face. We left Edmonds for Durham, England, 1988-2023, but got to know her on stateside visits. Sad to hear she passed away. equiescat in Pace.