WHO:Carol Danvers & Audrey Baxter WHEN: Last week WHERE: Baxter's Bakery WHAT: Carol does some networking WARNINGS: Low/None STATUS: Complete
Getting used to the OC was far easier said than done, although Carol was finding it a little easier to deal with the sunshine and heat, she missed the constant activity of the city and the traffic of New York. Orange County was a strange place, with enough that Carol could curb her investigative curiosity with these strange dream discussions and the odd people that congregated.
It distracted her, not entirely and not fully, but she was content for now.
Finally getting some time to herself, Carol opted to go and look into this Baxter’s bakery that she had heard about, even if she didn’t try a sparkling anything, she always enjoyed a good coffee and baked goods.
Leaving most of her work at home or the office, Carol was fairly casual about her appearance, only taking a book for her own enjoyment with her to the bakery, ordering her coffee and a cake before navigating through the somewhat busy cafe to take her seat and start people watching more than actually reading.
Audrey loved her life. Ben spent some days with her at the bakery, and other days with Merlin at Stark Tower. Today Ben was with his dad, and Audrey was on her own at the bakery, working with her employees, meeting with customers, and literally singing and dancing along with the radio as she stocked cookies in the pastry case.
When the woman’s cake and coffee were ready, Audrey popped over to the table to drop them off. “Here you go!” She said with a bright smile.
“Oh, thanks.” Clearly someone really loved their job, of course Carol could see why. The bakery wasn’t overly busy to the point of manic at that current point, but Carol could see it being an exceptionally popular place. Which was good, in the time of chain coffee shops and corporate brands, it was nice to go to an independent cafe.
“Hey, I had a question, um, your cakes and bakes, are they all homemade?” She’d been looking into the local businesses in Orange County, something she had a tendency to do was eat or buy her goods where she could from small, private owned businesses rather than larger, corporate owned places where she could. It was important to her.
Audrey stopped and smiled, waiting for the question then nodded. “We make all of our products here in house. We’ve got a thriving wholesale business out of the bakery in the back,” she motioned over her shoulder.
“I thought you looked new.” Her smile brightened. Meeting new customers and making them loyal ones was one of her favorite things in the whole world. “I’m Audrey Baxter. I own this place.” She held out a hand to the other woman.
That did explain the nice, simple feel to the place -they weren’t marketing a brand, it was more of a building little business, which Carol preferred entirely. “Oh, that is really good to know, because this is delicious.” She liked the home-made taste and feel of the goods, she liked the atmosphere and the fact that her coffee didn’t come with some ridiculous kind of branding from corporate where money was more important than quality.
“I’m Carol Danvers, I’ve heard a bit about this place,” a good local following usually meant good things. “Um, I actually work for a magazine, I’d really love to pick your brain about a few things, when you’ve got time of course,” businesses didn’t run themselves after all, “it’s on an article about the economic growth and the effect is has on small businesses and just how important they are to local economy.”
Or really, Carol just wanted to write something to give big businesses who exploited smaller businesses the middle finger by publishing something statewide.
“What kind of a magazine?” Audrey asked, interested. She folded her arms around the round tray that she’d carried the plate out on. It was cool against her chest. Thank God for Air Conditioning. It was probably a thousand degrees outside. So many people were ordering iced drinks lately.
“Wow, that sounds like one hell of an article!” Audrey chirped happily. “I’d love to hear your thoughts, too. But sure, feel free to give me a call and we can schedule an interview.” She was touched that Carol would want to talk to her about it, but it made sense, too. Baxter Bakery was a popular meeting place. It was mostly luck, but Audrey liked to believe that she had something to do with the place’s success.
“I’m an editor for the west coast edition of Woman Magazine,” handy helpful tips for season’s best buys and trends, some women interest stories, the usual housewife informationals, simple easy reading with a slight feminist twist here and there. Carol liked to keep her own contributions to the magazine in tone with her own interests.
“I’ve found more and more, when you live in communities like this, it’s easier and sometimes better to support the local growth by keeping things to the small types of local run businesses. Mom and Pop stores, family run diners, small businesses like this.” Most of Carol’s life was spent in small bodegas in New York, or in those cute little family run diners where the prices had to hike a little here and there, and waitresses seemed so very grateful for the basic 20% tip.
“That’d be great, thanks.” And interviewing business owners on how they’ve found the competition along with consumers who have to pay the prices and see the results of their purchases always added a nice kind of balance.
"Wow. That must be quite the job!" Audrey actually had a copy of that magazine sitting on her coffee table at home. (It would likely have to move soon so that Ben wouldn't tug it down and chew on it, but...) "I think it's important for both local individuals and local businesses to take care of each other. I've done my part to support other mom and pop shops, too." With the wholesale part of her business.
One of the baristas from behind the espresso machine called for Audrey's attention, and the auburn-haired woman glanced between her employee and her customer.
"It's been really great to meet you," Audrey said, "but I should go help my girls." She couldn't help but smile.
“It’s been great,” so good coffee and food and she managed a little bit of work. Success. “I’ll give you a call later to arrange things, when you’re not run off your feet.” Carol just grinned back, already laying out most of the article in her head pending her interview and the other information she’d already gathered.
At least she could claim her day as progress for work too. Now she just needed to remember to relax for the rest of it.