After resident Lilly Tapper honed in on her craft, what began as a mini market and coffee cart in Marblehead has become the Three Hundred Fifty bakery in Swampscott.
She explained that baking became a side hustle for her while she was in high school, when she took time to hone her recipes and build her own brand. She started by selling baked goods at the Swampscott Farmers’ Market with her mother, where they’d provide community members with treats like cookies, dessert bars, muffins, and coffee. With the leftovers they had, rather than throw them away, Tapper decided to open her own mini market at her house.
“The mini market started as another opportunity for community members to get my products. From there, it turned into its own thing… Eventually, the leftover products weren’t enough, and I started baking things to sell at the mini market, as well,” she said.
Tapper noted it was a fun way to increase exposure to her products without people having to travel to the farmers’ market.
“It helped me to increase awareness of my business in the community. People would see my sign at the end of the road and stop because they were curious,” she said. “The mini market helped expand my following, and it showed me that what I was serving was something the community wanted… It really helped solidify the decision to have a storefront in Swampscott.”
She said she was having trouble coming up with a name for the bakery when her brother asked, “What temperature do you bake at?”
“I said, ‘Three hundred and fifty degrees,’ and he told me, ‘There you go,’” she said.
Tapper went on to attend Johnson & Wales University, where she double majored in Baking and Pastry Arts and Food and Beverage Entrepreneurship. She then earned a Master’s Degree in business with a concentration in marketing.
“I got a lot of hands-on experience at Johnson & Wales in the baking world; then I had a couple of internships after that where I learned a lot of business skills… I also think the ‘in-the-moment’ experiences of running my own business has really taught me a lot,” she said.
When she opened the bakery on Nov. 22, Tapper aimed to create a modern take on pastries, a place that offered a similar vibe to the classic storefront bakeries in London, where passersby get a direct glimpse of the goods. They offer everything from cakes and cookies to tea and coffee.
“I went to London a few years ago, and every bakery that I walked past had its display right in the window… And you don’t see that a lot. That’s why I designed the bakery the way it is; I wanted to create a space that wasn’t expected, compared to a typical coffee shop or bakery,” she said.
Tapper continued, saying that while she wanted to create a brand that defines what she’s trying to bring to the town, it was also important to think of the community when creating a business that reflects the needs and desires of community members.
She noted that the response from the community has been amazing, adding that the word-of-mouth between customers and continual business has left Tapper speechless.
“People are so supportive, and I’ve had repeat customers in the few days we’ve been open,” she said. “It’s amazing how the community supports local businesses.”
She added that she’s excited to establish herself in her new bakery, and that when she’s envisioning her future, she hopes to open more locations and expand the brand.
Editor’s Note: Due to a reporter’s error, a version of this article ran in the Dec. 11 Weekly newspaper which omitted that Tapper lives in Marblehead.
