HOULTON, Maine — It is the end of one era and the beginning of a new one for Sadie’s Bakery in downtown Houlton.
The iconic bakery that has served fresh, hot doughnuts, bread, rolls and other pastries in the Shiretown for 66 years has changed ownership. Tim and Sharon O’Donnell, the Hodgdon couple who have run the bakery for the past 36 years, have sold the iconic business to Blaine and Sharon Jackett of Houlton.
Friday was the O’Donnells’ final official day as owners of the bakery, but on Saturday, they were at the business helping the Jacketts with the transition. It also gave Tim a chance to visit with many of his longtime customers without having to worry about keeping the doughnuts coming.
“I want to thank all of the customers who stopped in over the years,” Tim said. “I probably have the most loyal customer base that any business could ever have. Everyone is so friendly… it’s overwhelming. They really are like family.”
Tim said his wife often would joke that him going to work was really just an excuse to go socialize with all of his friends.
“She told me for years, ‘you don’t go in there to work. You go in there to party all day,’” he said.
Sadie’s Bakery has been synonymous with Houlton for generations, as the enticing smell of warm, freshly baked doughnuts wafts through the downtown air.
Tim and Sharon O’Donnell purchased Sadie’s in May of 1978, but the business itself dates back to 1948. Mildred Oliver owned the shop for about 11 years before the O’Donnells purchased it. The business dates back to 1948 when Sadie Hand opened a bakery on Military Street. She later moved the doughnut and pastry business downtown to the Dunn Block and eventually to its current location on Water Street.
Tim said there were many times over the years that he felt “burned out” by the business and contemplating closing, but it was the people that kept him coming back.
“I’m glad I did everything I did,” he said. “I will miss it, so I’m sure I will be here for coffee break quite a lot. It will be better because I can sit and talk to people instead of having to holler to them from the fryer.”
Tim and his wife have worked together for 40 years, as the two met when he was just 18 (and she was 17) when they both worked at the Silver Fox restaurant and later Ivey’s restaurant.
“We have been attached at the hips for our married lives,” he said.
Last fall, Tim was diagnosed with cancer and had to stop working in the bakery. The doors were closed for about six weeks while he underwent treatment. Last month, Sharon re-opened the bakery for a few hours on Friday and Saturday mornings. Tim was unable to return to the bakery for health reasons.
“Your mind wants to keep working, but your body just quits after 10 to 15 minutes,” he said. “But, I don’t want people’s pity. I’m going to keep fighting.”
So when the O’Donnells were approached by the Jacketts about selling, they knew the time was right. The O’Donnells also have a farm, which the couple will try to continue with for as long as possible.
Sharon O’Donnell said both she and Tim were ready for something new, while their children and grandchildren seem to have a harder time letting the bakery go.
“I think they were more bothered by us selling,” she said. “It will be strange not coming in, but we’re ready.”
The doughnut recipe has remained unchanged for the past 66 years, but other elements at Sadie’s Bakery have been tweaked over time. At one time, they baked beans every Saturday evening and also supplied pastries, pies, bread and rolls for Irving, Sunoco, Woolco and Elm Tree Diner.
They still make muffins, cookies, whoopie pies, three types of bread, dinner rolls and other pastries, but it is the doughnut that continues to be the biggest seller. Over the years, though, the O’Donnells slowed the pace at their bakery; cutting back on the hours they were open, and scaling back on the variety of products they made.
While much of what people have grown to love about Sadie’s Bakery will remain unchanged, Blaine said there would be some new additions as well.
Blaine, who operates JEI Sports, a screen-printing business next door to the bakery, said he did not know the O’Donnells before opening his business beside theirs.
“I opened my store last April, and we became great friends,” he said. “I loved hearing the laughter from Tim and Sharon coming through the walls as they were in there baking.”
Sharon Jackett will be the primary cook at the bakery, while their daughter Erika will assist with the counter sales.
“It’s an amazing fit for my wife, Sharon,” Blaine said. “She has cooked all of her life, so this is a perfect fit for her.”
Blaine said some of the changes they may implement include offering soups and sandwiches at lunchtime as well as bringing back the popular baked beans. All of the original doughnut recipes were included in the sale of the business. The Jacketts will also introduce some new family recipes along the way. The popular doughboys sold during the town’s “Midnight Madness” celebration will continue.
“We will always have plain, molasses and chocolate doughnuts,” Blaine said.
“This is a dream for me,” Sharon Jackett added. “For the last six Saturdays I have come in and worked with Sharon (O’Donnell). She taught me all the tricks of the trade.”
Starting Tuesday, May 20, the business will be open Tuesday through Saturday. For more information on Sadie’s Bakery, visit their Facebook page.
