Rachel Creech, owner and founder of Country Café & Bakery, was inspired to start a business during visits to the Open Air Market in Marion. In August 2012, she became a vendor at the market selling foods made from scratch such as jellies and baked goods.
Rachel and her devoted family & business partners — her husband Eric, and her mother, Terry Reynolds — remodeled a Downtown building on the Mississinewa River on 1st & Washington Streets, formerly inhabited by Vogel’s Donuts. Rachel expressed love for the location because of the river and views of nature while in a busy setting. They established an agreement with the City of Marion to rent the building with hopes to purchase it one day.
In October 2015, Country Café & Bakery opened for business. The name explains the business to a tee as a fully-functional café with homemade food items for purchase. They also have been catering since day one, which they say has helped their overall success. “Our catering has really taken off over the past year. It’s producing nearly half of our revenue, and we’re doing larger events such as weddings,” Rachel said. Reynolds added that the success of the business is because all of their food is made from scratch, and made fresh.
‘Country Café,’ now almost three years old, serves the community by giving back whenever it can. The family business initiates and participates in “Dine to Donate” events where portions of proceeds help local charitable organizations such as the Grant County Rescue Mission, God’s House, and the Salvation Army. They also work closely with Carey Services by giving employment opportunities to disabled individuals to help place them in the working society. Reynolds explained, “I’m grateful that God gave us this business to help others in the Marion community.”
Rachel further explained they’ve proven successful after committing to investing in their business. “Some business owners expect a return on investment right away, but they need to be willing to put a lot into it and be patient in order to grow and be successful.”
In June 2018, they bought the building from the City, becoming an official stakeholder. They plan to expand the kitchen, add outdoor seating overlooking the river, and add signage in the near future.
Find Country Café & Bakery at 100 N. Washington St., Marion, Indiana, 46952. The Café is open Monday through Saturday from 7am to 2pm.
Submitted by Layla A. Price, President, Main Street Marion Board of Directors