Ulmer did not begin her career as a baker, but had trained to be a nurse.

“I originally went to school for nursing. I graduated, and I went straight into the ICU during COVID, and it was a hard time,” she shared, standing by the little stand that is stocked with her homemade goodies.

“Then I had my daughter, and the Lord blessed me to stay home with her, so I took that opportunity, but I felt like I still needed something for myself,” she said. Ulmer is a mom to two children now, the youngest just 4 months old.

It was after she volunteered to make cakes for some of the children in her family that the idea took hold that baking was what she wanted to do.

Hannah Ulmer stocks her tiny, roadside bakery “Crust & Crumb” with freshly made baked goods Friday morning. Ulmer was restocking the breads after selling out earlier that morning. She found what she believes is a calling to have a bakery after becoming a stay at home mom. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“Then it kind of just spiraled from there, a simple birthday cake for my cousin. It’s kind of just like a passion. I love baking. I love sweets. So I was like, I can make them,” she said.

That was almost three years ago. Then she started seeing farm stands pop up.

“My friend owns one out in Antes Fort and I put cookies in there for her,” she said.

So, this year, she decided to open her little bake stand on property at her uncle’s business.

“I was like, let’s just see if we could put in a farm stand down here. He’s like, oh yeah, go for it,” she said.

Hannah Ulmer helps Heather and Josh Edwards of Avis load up their bag with goodies at the her tiny, roadside bakery “Crust & Crumb” Friday morning. Ulmer was restocking the breads after selling out earlier that morning. She found what she believes is a calling to have a bakery after becoming a stay at home mom. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“This is nice, because I can make what I want in the hours that I want and put them in there and watch people enjoy,” Ulmer said.

The stand officially opened earlier this month and Ulmer said the response has been very good — in fact, on that day, Ulmer had to restock by noon, having sold out of her first batch of baked goods.

“We sold out last weekend, within two hours, both Friday and Saturday. We couldn’t even open Sunday, because sourdough can take a whole day and a half to make, and we’re like, we just can’t make any more,” she said.

“But it’s been amazing. So many nice comments, everybody coming out, so it’s been great,” she added.

The stand is open Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Ulmer bakes the goods at her home, which has a limited food establishment license. She also stocks items from her cousin-in-law, who also has a license, and provides macaroons, brownies, scones and other goodies, Ulmer said. Her aunt, who is a knitter, made handmade animals for the stand.

She begins early in the day in order to prepare items to stock her stand.

“So, 5 a.m. is the earliest I’m getting up. (There are) some late nights to get all the dough made and prepped for the next baking,” she said, adding that it’s worth it to see everybody enjoying her homemade baked goods.

The sourdough bread takes two days to prepare because of the process needed to make it. Her cookies take about 24 hours because she lets the dough rest in the refrigerator to develop more flavor.

There is a balance of sweets and healthy items at the stand with her homemade baked goods and jellies as well as honey and goat milk soaps sourced locally.

“Everything here is local,” she explained. Even the stand itself was created by her father.

“My dad made this stand. He’s just the best. He does anything,” she said.

The doors on the stand are from a house that she and her husband bought that was built in the 1800s. Her uncle donated the siding and Ulmer noted that her mom added her own touch to the stand.

“We have a lot of people who love to help us, and we’re very blessed for it,” she said.

Although plans aren’t in the works to expand her stand, Ulmer said that she might have to.

“We will see maybe over the summer, if it slows down, we might just have kind of like everybody coming out and checking it out. But we’ve been selling out,” she said.