BOOKS & BREAD
B Side Bakery & Books offers fresh-made breads, books and more
The interior of B Side Bakery & Books has an inviting atmosphere where customers can relax among the books and the baked products.
B Side Bakery & Books owner P.J. Miller stands in front of the store, located at 43 Catawba Ave. in Old Fort.
P.J. Miller, right, owner of B side Bakery & Books in Old Fort, stands with employee Jake yochem.
Left: at B side Bakery & Books, you can purchase Pan de Mie (a sourdough soft white sandwich bread), made fresh at P.J. Miller's nearby bakery..
Right: B side Bakery & Books offers sourdough bread mixed with Mediterranean olives
OLD FORT
Old Fort has a bakery and bookstore where patrons can select from a variety of locally made breads and locally sourced goods along with all kinds of new fiction and nonfiction books.
B Side Bakery & Books is located at 43 Catawba Ave. in Old Fort right next to Seeker Coffee. The business opened in December.
It is owned by P.J. Miller, who also owns P.J.'s Bread Works, which has been open for two years.
While Miller was busy making bread and other similar products in the bakery, he wanted to have a retail shop where customers could come in and purchase his freshly made goods. He also thought a bookstore would be a nice addition for Old Fort, he said.
Miller said he worked in the tech industry for a long time and was employed by a software firm in Memphis for 17 years. He also worked in Silicon Valley before setting up his bakery and shop in Old Fort.
"The idea behind this was a retail spot for the bread," Miller said. "When I first thought about doing something in Old Fort, I wanted it to be a bookstore/cafe/ bakery. That is essentially where the idea came from (when) this space became available."
He said his bakery focuses on making different types of breads.
At B Side Bakery & Books, customers can find delicious loaves of sourdough, ciabatta, baguette, brioche, Moravian sugar cake and sourdough sandwich bread. All are made by Miller in his nearby bakery and brought to the store when ready, where they are kept in a freezer.
"Everything is some kind of bread product," he said.
In addition, customers can browse among the selection of books on the shelves. The books consist of fiction, nonfiction, science and nature, science fiction, fantasy and children's titles and all the books are brand new.
"I've been getting a lot of recommendations from people for books, and I write those down and I try to order those books," Miller said. "We are going to do community picks for favorite books."
In addition to bread and books, B Side Bakery & Books is a bit like a locally sourced micro grocery store. Three Sisters Cheese & Provision cheese products made by Aaron Mathews in Marion are sold there, as well as a variety of greens from two local farms. Beverages are also available.
When visitors walk inside, the music of records playing on the turntable fills the air. Miller said he wants to start selling vinyl records in his shop, too.
B Side Bakery & Books is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
His employees are Jake Yochem, Brooke Armstrong and Colton Nelson.
The business can be found on Facebook and Instagram at B Side Bakery & Books.
