For Fred and Rosemary Dehlow, owners of Geraldine’s Bakery in Asheville, NC, baking is a family affair.
The Dehlow’s journey to opening Geraldine’s begins with Fred’s father Karl “Big Ernie” Dehlow. Growing up in the midst of World War II, Big Ernie, originally from Germany, noticed that the only shop in town to remain open during the war was the bakery. After the war, as people lined around the block with baskets of worthless money just to buy a loaf of bread, Big Ernie decided that he would never go hungry nor cold as a baker, eating his own product and sleeping on flour sacks by the coal ovens. So at 14 years old, he began to learn the craft of baking as an apprentice for a master baker in Berlin, Germany.
Big Ernie soon passed his passion for the profession down to his son Fred, who also began baking as a 14 year old, working under the watchful eye of his father. Not long after, at the age of 15, Rose also went to work at Big Ernie’s Yum-Yum Bakery, earning enough to put herself through college and meeting the owners’ son who would eventually become her husband.
In 2004, after thirty years of working at a family bakery, the Dehlows decided to close their successful operation, buy a Harley-Davidson and tour the United States on motorcycle. However, with their kids grown and graduated from college, the desire to return to their baking roots soon beckoned. The Dehlows relocated from Long Island, NY to Asheville, NC, a place they had visited a few times during their travels, and opened a small bakery named for Fred’s mother Geraldine.
Today, Geraldine’s Bakery is an Asheville staple, serving up freshly baked goods 7 days-a-week from their Merrimon Avenue location. Fred and Rose are “happy to be in a wonderful, friendly, helpful, and caring community serving customers with baked goods once again.”
Providing Peace of Mind
As experienced business owners, the Dehlows knew the importance of having a local CPA on their team. According to Rosemary, they “needed to find someone who could help us navigate a new business environment, help set up our ‘books’, and ensure that we were correctly managing our finances from the beginning. It is much easier to start out right than to correct problems in a year or so when it is time to submit your IRS tax forms… believe me!”
When life gets hectic for the owners of Geraldine’s, they appreciate that Sherry is “honest, direct, and accessible. When you are a busy owner you do not have the time to procrastinate or sit at a desk. Sherry helps with all the book-work and alleviates the stress of income tax time.” But most importantly, the Dehlow’s feel that Sherry is a member of their team: “Thank you Sherry for being not only a professional accountant but also for your kindness and warmth. You know that helps when I call you exasperated about some bookkeeping glitch!”
Please visit Geraldine’s Bakery at 840 Merrimon Avenue in Asheville, NC, and check them out on the web and on Facebook. Tell them Sherry sent you!
For more information about how Sherry M. Higgins, CPA can help you or your business, please visit sherrymhigginscpa.com or email sherry@sherrymhigginscpa.com.