Community support inspired Sweet Cheeks Bakery’s expansion to Bangor area

The endless summer traffic along Route 1A in Holden convinced Sweet Cheeks Bakery owner Jonathan Beal it was time to open a second location.

“The traffic flow is no surprise, or no news, to anyone that knows how busy that stretch of road can be,” Beal said. “I think that we can probably see a lot more people, or more people can see us in that case.”

Sweet Cheeks’ original location on Verona Island doesn’t get much drive-by traffic, instead relying on people who know it’s there, he said. That won’t be the case for its second location in the Tradewinds Plaza at 113 Main Road in Holden, which opens July 20.

He decided to open the location with his life and business partner Michael Roy. Holden’s a community that supports businesses, which is another reason Sweet Cheeks is moving to town, Beal said.

The store will be open 24/7, starting at 10 a.m., July 20, Beal said. It’ll feature four chilled vending machines — Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia — named after the stars of “The Golden Girls.” A TV will likely be playing the show 24/7, he said.

“They’re feel-good shows for me,” Beal said. “They harken back to a better time and it’s wonderful.”

A handful of tables will be in the plaza for people to sit and enjoy their food, Beal said.

Cream horns, eclairs, carmelitas, tiramisu, pecan pie bars, lemon squares, humdinger cakes, carrot cakes, German chocolate cakes, a variety of cheesecakes and more unique creations will be available in the vending machines.

The bakery will also have gluten free treats, such as lemon bars and carmelitas.

Free samples, T-shirts, pint glasses and more will be given away during the grand opening, Beal said.

After the new location is up and running, Sweet Cheeks may do a monthly pop-up where it will sell items from Verona Island that aren’t well suited for the vending machines, he said. People should watch Facebook for more information.

Sweet Cheeks hopes to embed itself in the Holden community like it has on Verona Island and surrounding communities. It has given more than $5,000 in scholarships to local high school students, Beal said.