Charmaine Flint and her son Chris are opening Duck Inn Bake Shop, where you can relax and enjoy delicious baked goods with espresso and specialty coffees in downtown Oregon, Missouri. Charmaine’s son, Chris Flint, is a San Francisco Culinary Arts (Le Cordon Bleu) Pastry Chef graduate with a passion for cooking and baking and has led him to offer his specialties in a retail setting.

Charmaine has owned her own businesses in the past and wanted to collaborate and share her experiences with Keli Morris, Enterprise facilitator, to fulfill her son Chris’s dream and aspirations for the Bake Shop. Already being a board member for Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation (NWMEF), Charmaine knew that the free and confidential resources they provide anyone wishing to start or grow a business would be helpful as she embarked on this journey with her son. Charmaine says, “NWMEF and Keli have been my support system, my advisor and counsel for business practices.”

When asked whether she has any words of wisdom for other individuals wanting to start a new business venture, Charmaine replied with a list of helpful questions she herself had to work through: “What are your passions? Is this the business you plan on being in? Is there a market for your product? Is the location that you are considering able to support the life of your business and how long? Do you have the endurance and financial backing? Do you have a good support system in place now? Do you have the experience to run this business or do you have experienced people to run it? Do you have legal advisors and a tax person?”

Now comes the joy of offering his culinary creations to the public and experiencing the thrill of sharing his baking talents with others as a proprietor of a small town bakery. What do they name as their dream for the future? “Growing into a full service bakery and café and also serving lunches and special occasion evening meals.” It will be exciting to see this dream unfold.

Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation is hosting a business celebration to welcome Duck Inn Bake Shop on Tuesday, December 3rd, at 9:00 a.m. It is located  at 100 S. Main Street in Oregon.

If you are interested in starting or retaining your own business, Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation can help. NWMEF is an economic development project which serves six counties including Andrew, Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth. Services are offered free and are strictly confidential. NWMEF is a not-for-profit organization. For more information, contact Keli Morris, facilitator, at 816-262-9400 or facilitator@nwmef.org. The Resource Board is comprised of more than 70 volunteer board members from each county as well as regional representation. Certain project costs have been underwritten by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, Neighborhood Assistance Programs.