How the North Asheville Market Started Our Bakery

At the North Asheville Market

A year ago, William and I were road tripping through the US, drawn to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Asheville was one of the places on our list, a city we were curious about as a potential home. We had no business plan and no serious intention of starting one.

We visited the North Asheville Farmers Market as tourists, taking in the scene. But the longer we walked, the more we noticed: stand after stand of people who had built something from scratch, cheeses and breads and crafts and produce, everyone running their own table and making their own thing.

The thought was quiet at first, not "let's start a bakery" but more of a nudge: maybe we could do something like this.

The Spark We Did Not See Coming

I have been baking my whole life, but it was never something I thought of as a business. Baking was what I did for family, for friends, for Kaffee und Kuchen, or just for fun. It was personal, not commercial.

Standing in that market, watching people sell what they made with their own hands, something started to click. It was not a plan, not at that point, but I had the sense that this was a place where people built things themselves, and maybe we could too.

We did not move to Asheville for the business. We moved as we were drawn to the city. The business came after, because that quiet idea from the market never really went away.

One Year Later

A year later, we are living in Asheville and running 3pm German Baking. I spend my days baking the things I grew up with, the things my Oma taught me. William helps with other things, from quality assurance (taste testing) to grocery lists to setting up the market table.

Today we are at the North Asheville Market again, but this time as customers. It is our Saturday off from Black Mountain (we alternate every other week), so we decided to spend the morning here. It feels different on this side of the table, where I can actually look around and remember.

Back to the Market

We did not go to that market a year ago expecting it to change anything. But Asheville became home, and the idea we picked up between the market stands became our business.

If you want to know where to find us, we keep our market schedule and locations updated here. Or reach out directly, we would love to hear from you.