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Bloomington American Legion building full of history, home-cooked meals

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Mary Adrian opened Ma’s Bakery 23 years ago after having a passion for baking cakes for many years prior. (Photos by Rachel Mergen)

Ma’s Bakery and the American Legion building is located at 450 Canal St., in Bloomington.

By Rachel Mergen

 

In 1880, the American Legion Building in Bloomington was built by Sprague and Holford at 450 Canal St. It was the largest store in the village. Its dimensions were 57 by 60 feet, and it was built to have a hall over the entire building, which is said to be able to contain between 400 and 500 people. The bottom floor included two stores, one being the L.D. Holford’s Drug Store, which was eventually bought by James Hatch in 1898.

Ora Hatch, business partner of James Hatch, took over the Bloomington drug store in 1900, when James went to manage their Lancaster store. In 1905, Ora bought the Bloomington store.

 

The drug store was mentioned many times in local newspapers under headlines like “Hatch has a train” and “A close call for Ora Hatch.”

“Hatch has a train,” published in a local newspaper on Dec. 7, 1905, read, “Bloomington has a railroad at last, locomotive, cars and all, and run by steam, too. True, the outfit isn’t very large, as you can find it in Hatch’s Drug Store, but it will amuse the children anyway.” This story was in reference to the railroad that had been in the works for many years, but was never actually built through Bloomington. The small model built in the drug store was the closest the village ever got to having one.

On Nov. 16, 1910, the article “A close call for Ora Hatch” was released. It stated, “The steam boiler on Hatch’s popcorn machine exploded and could have killed Hatch if he had been in the wrong location at the time.” It was a traumatic moment that went down in the building’s history.

In 1912, the Sprague section of the building was leased by C.A. Guernsey of Blue River. The section became a restaurant and bakery. A small structure was added to the rear of the building to become a bakeshop.

In the upper level of the building was the city hall and the city opera house. The hall was also often referred to as simply the Sprague and Hatch Hall.

As the city opera house, the top level of the building hosted many performances. Performers included the Harper-Detrick Company in 1900 and a group of Japanese actors in 1920.

A moving picture machine was bought for the upper floor in 1918, which led to movies being shown from time to time.

Roller-skating, which had a 40 cent admission fee, and high school commencement exercises also occurred occasionally in the building.

The hall was remodeled in 1949 to contain a new stage, kitchen facilities and a refinished floor.

During its many years of existence, the building has been home to stores like Auman’s Grocery and Variety Store, Lucey’s Cash Store, the Gamble Store and Hazel Hatch’s Store. 

Today, the hall is owned by the American Legion.

In August of 1995, the building’s first floor met a new occupant. Mary Adrian began renting the store, opening a now-beloved bakery.

Ma’s Bakery

Mary Adrian’s mother once bought her a cake decorating kit. Mary was only 12 years old, simply wandering around a Ben Franklin store. Little did anyone know at the time that such a simple purchase would lead to a bakery that holds the hearts of many today.

Originally, Mary began by making cakes for her family on special occasions. After a few years, she started baking for family friends.

Her bakery started out small, just in her own home. The location eventually became unacceptable due to the large amount of orders she would receive. She discovered the American Legion building  store facility was open to be rented, and she moved her growing business into the long-enjoyed site in Bloomington.

Twenty-three years ago, Mary started only offering bakery goods, like her popular raspberry cheesecake croissants, and lunches. At the time, she didn’t want to compete with Goldminers Restaurant’s breakfast, which was located across the street. 

A couple of years later, she added salads to her menu, after a well-known woman from Beetown retired from making such dishes. Mary recognized the demand for those food options in the community.

Once the Goldminers restaurant closed, breakfast was served at Ma’s. To this day, this addition to the menu brings crowds in throughout the week, especially following church on Sundays.

“Rush, rush, rush,” Mary simply described her days at the bakery. She usually arrives somewhere between 4:30 and 5 each morning. She declared that she rarely ever leaves before 8 p.m., even when she tries her best to do so. The only exception is when she travels down to the Bloomington Park on baseball nights.

“Good morning, let the stress begin,” Mary quoted an old sign that hung in the bakery. She referred to it as the slogan of the business and its staff.

Mary enjoys visiting with her regular and new customers each morning, along with watching the children of the community grow up. 

“It’s fun watching [the children] grow. It makes it interesting,” she added.

There are tough times attached to being one of the most popular locations in town. “Watching the people pass away,” is the hardest part of owning the bakery, Mary said. “All the work can’t compare to that.”

According to Mary, though, what she enjoys most is, “probably the home-cooked meals.” She mentioned that her regulars love them. 

In addition, Mary voiced her love for Halloween, because her staff dresses up in costumes to celebrate. 

Mary is also fond of the Bloomington Christmas Shopping Spree. The bakery is full to capacity each year, with barely any room to walk around. After working for long periods of time on baking the cookies for the festive evening, Mary is able to watch them sell fast. 

Along with serving her customers inside the bakery, Mary and her team cater for a variety of events, including weddings and funerals.

The catering section of Mary’s business began because of immense inquiries about it from members of the community. People would request her to make desserts and other items for them.

When asked how many cakes she makes each year, she said, “I don’t keep track. I’d probably cry if I did.”

This year alone, Mary and the Ma’s Bakery staff will cater 39 weddings. Popular items requested include fried chicken and roast beef.

Mary plans to keep the bakery alive for many years to come. In the future, she hopes her daughter will take over the business.

“I don’t know what I’d do,” Mary said about the idea of not working at the bakery. Her love for her work is shown within every dish served.

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