Tucked inside the Meadville Market House, Save Room For Dessert draws you in with the unmistakable aroma of fresh-baked goods and a display case filled with treats that are as inviting as they are indulgent. For this installment of Meeting Meadville, Kelly Rhoades, of Kelly Rhoades Photography, connected with owner Mary Melvin to learn how her passion for baking—and a menu full of local favorites, from soft pretzels to classic desserts—has made her shop a staple for sweet cravings and community connections alike.
Meeting Meadville with Kelly Rhoades
Mary took time out of her very busy day to show me around the bakery. Let me tell you…it smelled FANTASTIC! Every single item in her display case had me drooling. My only regret was that it wasn’t a Thursday or a Saturday, because those are SOFT PRETZEL days! If you haven’t yet experienced their soft pretzels, you MUST. She has four varieties to choose from and you will not regret any of them!
Tell us a little about your business!
“I will be celebrating 14 years in business in October, although I started selling out of my home years prior. I have 6 employees. We make just about anything and everything. Some of our most popular things are our soft pretzels, apple dumplings, scones, chocolate chip cookies, coffee cakes, pies, cheesecakes and our big cookies. We sell our soft pretzels on Thursdays and Saturdays. We make soup in the fall and winters on Fridays. I’ve been located in the Market House since October, 2011. We make desserts and pretzels for our local bowling lane, winery, schools, restaurants, and ice cream shop.”
What inspired you to start your business?
“The love of baking which I learned from my mom.”
What is something that makes your business unique?
“Our soft pretzels”
In your opinion, what is the best thing about Meadville?
“How our local businesses work so well together to put on events so the public can get to know each and every business and have fun doing it.”
Which Meadville business, aside from your own, is your favorite?
“Hello Sunshine Boutique (because they are the only kids’ clothing store in town and they have a kick-ass owner. Nancy’s Under the Steps (because she is a one-woman operation and has the smallest small business in Meadville. I could never do what she does). The Active Aging Center of Meadville (because they have so many ways of helping our elderly in whatever need they have. So proud to have them in Meadville).”
Mary, thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me! For those who made it this far…please share with us your favorite Save Room dessert!
You can scroll through the visual story using the gallery below. You can also see the original post on Kelly Rhoades’ Facebook Page here. (Be sure to Like and leave a nice comment too!)
Kelly Rhoades is helping to Make Meadville through her work on this project. If you’d like to see Kelly’s full portfolio of work and book a session, go to her website at www.kellyrhoadesphotography.com
