Baker’s Acres says farewell

After 41 years in business, Baker’s Acres will be closing up for winter one last time this year, but first, will be celebrating at a farewell event this Saturday.

Reenie Sandsted and Cathy Kessler, co-owners of Baker’s Acres, explained what the business and community have meant to them over the years.

“Cathy started with mom right at the very beginning, so most of our working lives has been here,” Sandsted said. “It’s been very much part of our families. Our families have all worked here, our kids as they were growing up … it’s been just a part of our life.”

“It’s educating our customers, and I think we do a lot of that when we sell the stuff,” Kessler said. “I hear so many people say that when they come here they leave with a wealth of knowledge, and I think that’s how I look at what it’s done.”

Baker’s Acres was opened in 1980 by Sandsted’s parents, Jackie and Bob Baker, as a retirement project.

“When mom started Baker’s Acres, her whole point was to give back to the community, so part of it was to offer things that they couldn’t find elsewhere,” Sandsted explained. “Perennials, back in the early 80s, were not something you could actually find many places, so that’s why she went big into perennials. She, at one point, did over 1,000 different varieties of them. Herbs was another one you just couldn’t find in the community. … So, she wanted to give back to the community by offering things for them to be able to purchase and learn more about them and become gardeners, become educated gardeners and love what they’re doing.”

Kessler, originally from Pennsylvania, moved to the area with her husband, “and then I met the Bakers and loved it here and just stayed.

And while many shops have taken hard hits due to the pandemic, Baker’s Acres, like other horticulture businesses, has thrived.

“We’ve seen people we’ve never seen before because they knew they could come here and they’d be outside and they’d be safe and they could get their vegetables,” Kessler said.

“[We’ve seen] a lot more people,” Sandsted added. “Which is really exciting, to be able to bring in a whole new group of gardeners and try to make them successful gardeners so they’ll continue gardening even when the pandemic’s over.”

Sandsted went on to explain the importance of horticulture and how she and Cathy have loved educating their customers on gardening watching them grow.

“I feel that being a gardener, first of all, makes you more respectful of the Earth, the ground, the environment,” she said. “You’re giving back to the environment by being a gardener. You’re also doing a heathy exercise, and it’s something that just makes people happy. It really does. We have very happy customers, and I’m not saying that because we think we’re so great. We just know that customers here are here because they want to do something and improve their home and do something that makes them feel good.”

As for the future of the Baker’s Acres property, new owner David Fernandez, president of Cayuga Landscape, said he plans to have the land open again in 2023, with perennials, annuals, herbs and the orchard, applauding the foresight and vision of the Bakers.

“I think that Reenie and Cathy did a marvelous job for the 40 years and had just a tremendous diversity and great knowledge, and it was just a beautiful place to come. [My wife and I] remember bringing our kids there and many people have fond memories. And I definitely want to respect that and respect the landscape and the structures and what’s been done in the past and put our own stamp on it and make it our own growing and, I guess I’d call it, horticultural destination.”

Although Sandsted and Kessler are sad to see Baker’s Acres’ last season winding down, both said they are looking forward to having time for a little “R and R” as well as whatever the next chapter holds for them.

“Cathy has been here every day of the 41 years, and we don’t work a 40 hour week,” Sandsted expressed. “And so, as she said, it’s just going to be nice to just not … have to worry about is everything going to get watered today? Or if there’s a big windstorm what’s that going to do to our plants?”

Baker’s Acres will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 16, for its farewell event, with free hayrides; huge markdowns on plants, garden tools and supplies, lumber and more; representatives from the Special Olympic program, featuring Johanna Baker; Bob Baker’s famous Cornell barbecue chicken from 11 a.m. until gone; Adelina’s authentic Roman pizza from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the Tompkins County Dairy Princess from noon to 3 p.m.; and hot cider, donuts and more!

“We want everybody to know that we have adored their loyalty to us,” Kessler said. “So we decided the 16th was a good time to say this is the end of the planting season, so come celebrate our 41 years!”

“It has been humbling to have people say things to us, and I guess the reason it’s so humbling is because this is exactly what my mother wanted when she started it,” Sandsted said. “She wanted to give back to the community, and so to hear how appreciative people are of that, it just makes me feel like we did carry on her legacy and we did try to do what she had intended in the very beginning.”