O. J. Miller prepares to carry bagged loaves of bread out into the retail area at the Bountiful Blessings Bakery south of LaFayette, Ga.• Name: Bountiful Blessings Bakery
• Location: 3065 S. U.S. Highway 27, LaFayette, Ga.
• Contact information: 706-638-5314, ibake4u@afo.net
• Hours: Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Products/services: Freshly baked, made-from-scratch bread, sweet rolls, cakes and other baked treats ranging in price from $3.75 for a loaf of bread to $18 for a large cake. Bountiful Blessings serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Age: The bakery started selling bread in November 2008 and began serving lunch around January 2010.
• Startup investment: O.J. Miller used to work in construction and built the two-story building that houses the bakery. Including the building, total startup costs were around $100,000, but Miller said he bought most of his kitchen equipment used, saving a lot of money.
• Goals: Miller wants to start selling deli meats and cheeses and finish the second floor of his bakery to serve as a banquet room.
• Secret recipes: Miller's wife and head baker, Laura, learned to bake bread from her grandmother when she was 12. She's now honed her abilities, creating about 125 recipes as tame as oat bread and as wild as Swedish pineapple with cream cheese cake.
• Family business: Before Bountiful Blessings opened, Laura Miller would bake bread to sell out of her home and at farmers markets. Now, the business has grown large enough to keep the Millers and their two daughters busy all week. "It's nice to be able to work together," O.J. Miller said.