Non-profit bakery Boundless Confection Connection open to the public for retail sales

BRUNSWICK — Boundless Confection Connection, a nonprofit bakery, expanded its vocational program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by giving them additional job experience in retail. Confection Connection opened in Brunswick in June 2023 as an exclusively wholesale bakery and expanded its scope to retail sales this year. As a result, the public can now shop for treats inside the store. "Now on top of giving them the experience of baking and learning how to work with other people and delivering orders, we now have that customer service aspect of people being able to come in and select smaller quantities of items from our case with a rotating menu," said Izzy Fox Woodcock from Confection Connection. The retail case features chocolate chip cookies, cut-out cookies and seasonal items that rotate each week like Bundt cakes, turnovers, cinnamon rolls or muffins, Fox Woodcock said. "I'm glad that we were able to move this part of our project up because we weren't originally slated to do retail for another year," she said. "We were able to get it bumped up because there was so much interest from the community. They made it possible for us to get this part of our project open earlier." There are seven people who participate in the vocational program at any given time, Fox Woodcock said. The bakery also has a contract with Brunswick Schools, so between one and three students are part of the program every year. "A lot of times when they first come to us, they're leaving a job where maybe they weren't treated right or they were given the bottom of the barrel jobs like always doing dishes or taking the trash out or they had some type of issue where it wasn't a good fit," she said. "Their self-confidence is a little broken." Once the employees learn recipes and procedures, they become more independent, and their skills and confidence grow, Fox Woodcock said. "It's amazing getting to see them learn how to interact with each other and work on the things that they maybe weren't sure of in a previous job," she said. "Now they're getting that experience, and they're getting to try it out in ways that's safe for them to make mistakes because a lot of jobs aren't super forgiving if you make a mistake." Fox Woodcock said Confection Connection gives its employees the "grace to grow." When they are ready to start transitioning out of this job, they can take their next steps, like working with a job coach, creating a resume and getting interviews. "I'm seeing the camaraderie that they have and how excited they are for each other when somebody takes a big step or gets some type of accomplishment achieved," she said. "It's really amazing to watch." Confection Connection at 3817 Center Road is open to the public for retail sales from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Wholesale orders can be placed in-person or online at tinyurl.com/2utartba. "It's really fantastic how well the community in Brunswick itself has circled around us," Fox Woodcock said. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.