Discovering Pin-Up Bake Shop

Downtown Madison Bake Shop and Snack Bar

Photo Credit to Lindsay Holley with the Madison Main Street Program

Let’s get this out of the way right now. Yes, Ashley Fisher makes ALL the good things in Pin-Up Bake Shop right there in the store at 702 W. Main St.

“That’s the number one question that people ask me – ‘Do you make everything here?’” says the owner, gesturing to the oven, the bowls and pans, the quantities of ingredients -- all in plain sight.

Perhaps people are just amazed by the number of different baked creations – cookies, cupcakes, cake pops, muffins, holiday themed mini-cakes, cinnamon rolls. They rotate through Ashley’s display cases as the seasons change. The shop opened June 19, with the help of Madison Main Street Program and the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce to spread the word that the doors were open.

Photo Credit to Lindsay Holley with the Madison Main Street Program

Although friends and co-workers have told her for years she should open her own shop, Pin-Up is Ashley’s first foray as a business owner. In her younger days she watched her parents operate businesses in Seymour, and she herself worked with them on a concession business. After 14 years in the corporate world, Ashley decided the time was right to start a business herself.

Helping her decision was the availability of the retail space at the northwest corner of Main and Mill streets. Her brother had previously had a tattoo business there before joining with a friend to start the Madison Tattoo Gallery above Crawdaddy’s Music, 128 E. Main St. The Pin-Up Bake Shop space, owned by Maleha and Tyler Jones, needed no modifications except the addition of baking equipment and display cases. Ashley likes the plentiful parking and the large window on Main Street.

Photo Credit to Lindsay Holley with the Madison Main Street Program

Coming up with a name was a problem. “I had scoured the internet for hours. Every name I thought of had been used,” Ashley said. Finally she thought of a business she knows in Las Vegas – Pin-Up Pizza. Her picture of a pin-up girl raising a cupcake seems to set just the right tone.

Like other businesses on West Main, she has a front row seat for the redesign of Main Street. She has coped with construction by pushing more pre-orders from her customers. She expects to do more pre-orders for holiday gatherings.   

Photo Credit to Lindsay Holley with the Madison Main Street Program

Another challenge has been the unpredictability of demand for her goods. “The market is kind of odd. Sometimes I’ll have a Wednesday that’s better than a Saturday,” she said. “I’m trying to wrap my head around that.”

In addition to baked goods, Ashley offers hot dogs, chili cheese dogs, lemon shakeups (as well as other flavors), coffee and soft drinks. She is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, plus 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. She advertises that she is a woman-owned and veteran-owned business. Ashley formerly was an air traffic controller in the Army National Guard.

Photo Credit to Lindsay Holley with the Madison Main Street Program

Businesses on West Main have been welcoming to the new store at the corner of Main and Mill. Ashley said, “I’m glad to be here. Everybody’s been very nice and supportive.”

She has her work cut out for her in November, as she will bake all 1,000 cookies the Madison Main Street Program needs for its Holiday Open House on Nov. 14-15. A variety of cookie types will be distributed to 10 “cookie stops.” These go to folks who have purchased Holiday Open House tins from the Madison Main Street Program. Participants will be assured of getting a colorful array of Christmas cookies made exclusively by the Pin-Up Bake Shop.

Stay Connected! Follow Pin-Up Bake Shop on Social Media:

• Facebook: Pin-Up Bake Shop

• Email: Pinupbs@yahoo.com

• Location: 702 W Main Street

We can't wait to see you in downtown Madison!

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Written By:

Laura Hodges

Board Secretary

Madison Main Street Program