PB Bakery is your neighborhood mom and pop shop for confectionery delights. Just ask owner Jim Thompson. “It’s hard to believe the holidays are here,” said Thompson outside his bakery on a recent Monday.
He noted the Christmas holiday season in PB is almost like a second summer.
“The holidays are insane, Christmas week is amazing,” said Thompson, adding Thanksgiving wasn’t bad either this year.
“We sold out of pies, 500 in three days – we were baking around the clock,” he said, noting, “We crank everything out of this little building here.”
Thompson took the retail space nearly two years ago, formerly Sugar & Scribe, which was successful for five years before him. He has since moved to La Jolla.
“Once I realized there were no other bakeries in PB – I slid right in,” Thompson said.
One thing you won’t find at PB Bakery is donuts or bagels. Plenty of other places in town have those.
“We do cakes, cupcakes, pies, muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls, crescents, quiche, breakfast sandwiches, acai, yogurt bowls and meatball sandwiches for lunch,” said Thompson. “We specialize more in custom cakes, specialty orders. We’ve done Star Wars robots. You name it.”
Thompson said PB Bakery also has lots of coffee including a full espresso machine.
Noting that wedding business has really taken off, Thompson said PB Bakery also “does a lot of catering, conventions and wholesale.”
There’s no secret to Thompson’s business success.
“We always say we do good customer service, good product and good prices,” he said. “If we do those three things – we’ll be doing all right.”
The cafe owner is a big social media fan and is proud to have a 4 1/2 star rating on Yelp, as well as having 2,500 followers on Instagram, which he noted, “is pretty amazing for a small place.”
A business owner on the side, Thompson, who went to culinary school on the GI Bill after leaving the Air Force, has been a full-time regional air traffic controller for 19 years. His “day job” is in the Miramar area.
Thompson and his wife “tossed around a bunch of names” for their new bakery, but decided on PB because, “I wanted to be part of the community,” he said.
“This is my heart, this is my love,” he said of the bakery, adding, “This (air traffic controller) is the one that pays my bills, and this (bakery) is the one that makes me happy.”
Thompson said he always tells everybody, “I’m supporting small, local business. We’re all friends helping each other out. PB needs this. We need businesses to stay here and thrive.”
Getting the word out that PB Bakery is here to serve is “huge,” said Thompson. He points out that Thanksgiving’s pie sell-out was just one example that people are getting to “know we’re here.”
The restaurateur added pre-orders, especially big ones, are encouraged.
“We’re a humble family bakery, come check us out,” Thompson implored. PB Bakery Where: 1420 Garnet Ave. What: Bakery/cafe with specialty cakes, pies, pastries Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Contact: 858-412-5071, [email protected], www.pbbakerycafe.com