Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Farci.
Hi Shannon, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My love for baking started with my favorite Christmas present ever! When I was roughly eight years old, my parents bought me an Easy-Bake oven. I was obsessed with it and naturally baked every single packet I could get my hands on. When the light bulb in it quit working, I upgraded to Betty Crocker packages, and then when that got boring, cookbooks were next. I learned fractions and science through baking and it easily became my favorite thing to do. Being a baker was a dream job but I never saw it as a realistic career path. I became a mom at twenty and got married. I had four kids in eight years, and when my family began to struggle, I chose to go to nursing school. I did very well in college and even made deans list several times, but something wasn’t fitting about it. I honestly hated it. I remember talking to my mom about it and she said, “what would you do for a living if you could,” and I replied, “bake cookies!” That was the beginning.
I had already spent years baking for my family, learning new skills, and watching countless shows. I knew that my techniques weren’t perfect, so I tried to get an entry-level job at a bakery. It was very hard because even though I knew what I was doing, I had no work experience. I hadn’t worked in almost ten years other than as a stay-at-home mom.
When I finally found a job at a bakery in Wildwood, Florida I was so excited but unfortunately, that feeling didn’t last very long. I worked there for roughly two months and was so disgusted with the way it was run and the amount of boxed products they used. The management was so bad that I literally cried most days driving home. I had a lovely conversation one evening with some customers while closing the store and they told me, “if you feel your talent is being squandered, than stop giving it away and use it for yourself.” So that is exactly what I did.
I took my last paycheck and went out to buy all the things I needed to start farmer’s markets. I was quickly doing two markets a week and bringing in twice the money I had been making in my old job. I was truly loving my job. I did Markets for three years and then life happened. I went through a divorce and had to work to support my kids, but thankfully because of my market experience, I was able to find work at a restaurant in Lady Lake Florida. The hours were awful but at least the bills were paid. Unfortunately, because of my schedule, my markets went to the wayside. Being the only support, I needed steady income, and this was the only way to do that. It worked for a while, then COVID hit and all of a sudden, I had no job. Markets were gone because of it all, and I hadn’t worked long enough to qualify for unemployment.
Thankfully my family, including my husband Fabio (who was my boyfriend at the time), was very encouraging when I chose to take a risk and open a small storefront that was an hour and a half away from my home. I gathered supplies that I had and a few things I didn’t have and took a leap of faith. This is when Whistle Stop Bakery was born in Downtown Clermont Florida.
Thankfully God is good to those who have faith and it’s been a little over a year now that our doors have been open. We have moved into a larger booth and have added new menu items. The bakery has flourished and word of mouth has been good. A brand new oven goes into the shop by the end of the month and I am watching my passion turn into a dream.
If you had told me when I was a young girl that I would get to not only be a mom, wife, and a working woman all at once, but I would also get to be baking cookies for a living and own the bakery I worked in; I honestly can say I wouldn’t have believed you. The accomplishments that God has allowed me to obtain this last year in a time where the world seemed to be falling apart is astounding.
I am so thankful and proud of who I have become and if I could say anything to anyone chasing their dreams right now, it would be this; KEEP GOING, have faith and no matter what, DON’T give up!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing worth having ever comes easy. I dealt with divorce, loss of income, fighting with self-doubt, and even bitter competition. I lost my grandmother in May and that alone almost ruined me. I was having an awful month at the shop, and when I left it to my employees, well, it didn’t help. Learning to run a business is scary and not at all a fun thing to do. When the bakery started, I knew nothing about running a brick-and-mortar shop. Markets were a whole different thing because most of them allow cottage foods. Well, getting a license and understanding the differences, making rent each month and paying utilities. None of this comes easy, and it can be very defeating at times. Luckily making good business connections and doing my research helped me to better understand and laid a path that has allowed for the success I have had to this point.
We’ve been impressed with Whistle Stop Bakery, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Whistle Stop Bakery is solely owned and operated by myself and my employee Ava who takes care of my shop when I can’t be there or need a day off. We specialize in old-fashioned baking with a new twist. While most of what we have is rustic baking like cookies, bread, pastries and such, we truly love doing custom cake work and trying new recipes. Everything is done with as little sugar as possible and in small batches to preserve the quality of the product. Nothing is made from a box. All of our recipes are completely from scratch, all the way down to our ganache and caramel sauce. We are known for our cookies and cakes, with over fifty cookie flavors and some awesome cake flavors like butterscotch and cotton candy; we are always looking to make you smile.
As for my brand, I am proud of our service. We aim to please and put a smile on your face. It truly means the world to me when you choose my small business and we want you to be happy with that choice. Because of this, we have never received a negative review.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was always focused on doing my best. School was very important to me and I was always determined to have the best grades. I remember my first “B” grade when I was in fifth grade and how upset I was. At the time, if your grades ever dropped, your parents had to sign a slip for your teacher. So when I got mine, I tried signing my mom’s name so she wouldn’t see it. Well, needless to say, that didn’t work and my teacher called my mom. She wasn’t upset with me; she just laughed and told me not to be so upset with myself because we aren’t perfect. This has always been my personality type. I hate doing anything halfway and pride myself on my work no matter what it is. I wasn’t a socialite at all. I had friends but wasn’t revolving around that. I wasn’t the most popular girl in school but she was my friend and we got along. There was a short time when I tried to focus on friends but my mom decided to homeschool me and that was probably the best thing for me as far as schooling went.
I was self-motivated so I was done with all of my studies by the time I was sixteen. I tested into college and dual-enrolled to start my degree. My extra time turned into a full-time job at Pronto Pizza in Ocala, FL. I was going to college and working a full-time job at sixteen, and I did this for two years before I went back to public school.
My personality was shaped in that time. I was homeschooled and I didn’t really understand myself until I went back to public school. I was determined, hardworking, and I loved the service industry because you got to make people smile. I was baking at home all the time still and when there was a family event, I was always bringing dessert. My interests weren’t so different from a child to a teen. I like riding bikes, rollerblading, playing volleyball, fishing, camping, basketball, and swimming. Baking was something I did when I was home and wanted a snack. As a teen, I didn’t have a ton of time for it and honestly didn’t find the time until I was a mom and home more than I wasn’t.
Contact Info:
- Email: wsbakery@yahoo.com
- Website: wscookies.com
- Instagram: whistle_stop_bakery
- Facebook: https://facebok.com/whistlestopbakery1
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/sGOFmCTFHhb
