Croissants for a Cause
Red Wagon Bakery spreads joy through croissants in an Ann Arbor neighborhood.
By Ria Lowenschuss
On Saturday mornings, you might spot Lucy Fuller delivering croissants to the people of Burns Park, a neighborhood in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She pulls behind her a little red wagon, the namesake of her new business. With it, the smell of buttery croissants and sweet chocolate drifts through the air, greeting those on her delivery route with the aroma of a Parisian bakery. Intrigued neighbors and pedestrians often stop Fuller, curious about the delicious-smelling goods in her wagon. She is happy to chat, talking about the orders for the week and how she is doing during the quarantine. Her face lights up as she talks about her croissants, smiling quickly and often.
Saturdays are not the only day Fuller dedicates to croissants. On Wednesdays, her phone blows up with texts from customers placing orders, and Friday evenings are reserved for baking. The croissants then rise and bake on Saturday morning. Fuller estimates that she spends six to eight hours each week making over 100 croissants. Although she may seem like a professional baker, Fuller works a full-time job in ophthalmology while running her small business. About balancing these time commitments, Fuller says, “it’s been several late nights” but notes that she is “learning how to split up the process into chunks I can handle in an evening after work.”
Lucy Fuller delivering croissants on a Saturday morning. Photo by Christine Modey
When Fuller, 23, found herself stuck at home in the midst of a pandemic, she knew she needed to find a way to stay engaged during the endless stretches of time. She decided to start baking croissants, hoping to bring joy to her neighbors. Croissants are Fuller’s specialty — she learned to bake them at a Zingerman’s Bakehouse summer camp, although people say she has improved upon their recipe.
Fuller did not expect her neighbors to urge her to sell her croissants. At first, Fuller was hesitant, but with support from her family, she started Red Wagon Bakery. Fuller’s business brings with it a new level of compassion: all the profits are donated to Garrett's Space, a nonprofit support center for teens and young adults in Ann Arbor. Fuller says, “It was completely for fun and then it turned into something a little bigger.”
Co-founder and chief operating officer of Garrett’s Space Julie Halpert says that they are always looking for support and thought Fuller’s approach unique. “(Fuller) didn’t actually mention to us that she was doing this,” she says. “She just showed up one day with croissants at our door.”
Fuller says the positive response from the community has been unexpected. She is known as “the croissant person,” with people stopping her in the street to compliment her baked goods. People tell Fuller they now look forward to Saturday mornings because of her croissants.
Laura Hayden, one of Fuller’s first customers, was never a baked goods person, and croissants never appealed to her, but that changed when she tasted her first Red Wagon Bakery croissant. Hayden says, “I don’t think I’ve ever, until we got those delivered, just chosen to eat a full croissant.” Hayden’s mother, Jan Turner, calls them “just as good, if not better, than anything I’ve ever had in Paris.” Hayden learned about the initiative from a free sample left on her doorstep, along with a note about Red Wagon Bakery. She quickly became a regular customer and has ordered every Saturday.
From the beginning, Fuller knew she wanted to donate profits from Red Wagon Bakery to a meaningful cause. She considered many charities, but when her mother suggested Garrett’s Space, it was the obvious choice.
Named for Garrett Halpert, a young member of the Ann Arbor community who died by suicide in 2017, Garrett’s Space is “near and dear” to Fuller’s family, as she went to school with Garrett’s sister. It also felt important to support a charity related to COVID-19 and mental health, because, she says, “teens were going to be having a lot of problems with mental health, especially kids who are in school.” She says she wanted to find a place that “could provide support for teens who have been displaced…whether it’s senior year or moving to and from school.”
Halpert shares Fuller’s concern for young adults during this time. “Suicides have escalated and young adults, even before this, many of them felt very much alone, and now they’re physically distanced from people and don’t have the experience of in-person interactions. I think that takes a huge toll,” says Halpert, adding, “Garrett’s Space is something we really want the entire community to be proud of and be a part of.”
Garrett’s Space is, according to its website, a resource for “hope, healing and connection for young adults facing mental health challenges,” making it the perfect place for Fuller to donate her profits.
The good cause has made Red Wagon Bakery even more appealing to its customers. Fuller calls them “really good croissants for a good cause,” and her customers are in full agreement.
Hayden, who already donates to Garrett’s Space, says that even if the croissants were not good, she would continue to buy them as they support a meaningful charity. “It’s a really good product on top of a really good message about supporting Garrett’s Space,” Hayden says.
Bags of Fuller’s croissants ready to be delivered. Photo by Lucy Fuller
Fuller has received many extra donations from customers who wish to support Garrett’s Space and as of July 29, 2020, has donated approximately $1,400 to Garrett’s Space. “We’re extremely grateful to Lucy, and really proud to be associated with her wonderful croissants,” says Scott Halpert, co-founder and CEO of Garrett’s Space.
Fuller emphasizes that she does not run Red Wagon Bakery by herself. It is a team effort, with her mom and neighbors helping out as volunteers. But, as Fuller says, “everyone gets ‘paid’ in leftover pastries and coffee.” Fuller points out that she is the only one who does the baking, but she has a volunteer who manages the money, logistics and advertising for Red Wagon Bakery as well as “an awesome delivery team” for Saturday mornings.
Fuller acknowledges that the experience is not always perfect and says, with laughter in her voice, “there’s been some yelling, there’s been some tension, but we figured it out!”
Overall, Fuller says she has learned a lot and is still learning from this experience. She is figuring out what she can handle as “a person and small business owner,” as well as how to streamline her process. For now, she says she plans to, “keep going until I stop having fun, which hasn’t happened yet!”
With the added incentive of raising funds for Garrett’s Space, Fuller and her Red Wagon Bakery are simultaneously bringing joy to a small neighborhood and giving back to the community.
If you are in the Ann Arbor area, you can text Lucy Fuller at 312- 971-7427 to order Red Wagon Bakery croissants.To learn more about Garrett’s Space, visit garrettsspace.org.
About the Writer:
Ria Lowenschuss of Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ria is a talkative high school student with big dreams. When she's not writing and reading, she kickboxes, plays piano and does yoga. Ria loves origami, comfy blankets and big cups of coffee.