OUR STORY
In the spring of 1922 the Thomas Parker family owned bakery moved into a state of the art bakery building they built at 120 King Ave. in downtown Albemarle which would eventually become the Albemarle Sweet Shop. The bakery would remain in that location until it was moved next door to 128 King Ave. in 1959. The bakery remains at 128 King Ave. today using much of the same equipment as it did in 1960. Our current phone number can even be traced back to the 1950s as is seen in the Albemarle city directory advertisement below.
Since the bakery moved onto King Ave. it has been locally owned. According to historical documents, Quint and Thomas Stokes Parker owned the bakery in 1921. In 1924 Peter Endres purchased the bakery from the Parker family. In 1934 the Whitley family purchased the bakery. The Whitley's would run the bakery as a family until Hillard Whitley took over the bakery, changed the name to the Albemarle Bake Shop and moved into our current location. Hillard and his wife, Jettie would run the bakery until they sold the business to Harold Bagwell. Harold and his family purchased the bakery in 1972 and would remain its owners until 1995 when they sold the business to Bud and Karen Haley. Bud and Karen held the business until the current owners, Shawn and Laura Oke purchased the bakery in April 2000.
The Oke's have worked hard to ensure many of the Sweet Shop favorites from years past are recreated to taste just like they did generations ago. The bakery continues to use the same formulas to create their custard pies, sugar cookies, clown cookies, creme horns, Sweet Shop cake, birthday icing and fruit bars just as the families that owned the bakery did in the past. Much of the same equipment that was in use years ago continues to produce the bakery products today. As seen below the oven used today is the same oven installed at 128 King Ave. in 1959. The rich history and smells of the Albemarle Sweet Shop come alive each day as the oven is lit as it has been for over 100 years!!
On September 16, 2023, the 51st Anniversary of the Albemarle Sweet Shop opening on King Ave., we opened our new location at 310 S. 2nd St. (beside of the post office). This location was designed from the ground up and will provide the ability for the Albemarle Sweet Shop to remain a downtown Albemarle staple for the future!!
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Delivery trucks for the Albemarle Bakery in front of the original bakery location at 120 King Ave.
A city directory from the 1950's reveals the bakery phone number as it remains today, YU or 98
then 2-1235
The bakery when it was at 120 King Ave. as seen looking up King Ave. towards Second St. The loading dock is gone but the outline of it still remains on the side of the building.
Our 1959 Middleby-Marshall oven brought from Chicago to the current Sweet Shop location in July 1959 is still operational today. This oven has baked sweets for Albemarle for over 60 years!! This oven will be moved to our new building in 2024.
The Albemarle Sweet Shop at 128 King Ave. as it looked in January 2021.
The Albemarle Sweet Shop at 310 S. 2nd St. as it looks at Christmas as the sun sets behind the bakery.