Today we’d like to introduce you to Irene Im.
Hi Irene, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
We’re a family owned Asian bakery. I handle our market setup, branding, and social media, while my parents focus on the production side, baking everything from scratch.
Our story began in 2020 in Chicago. Around that time, my mom, our main baker Logie Park, tried baking scones for the first time by following a YouTube video. What started as a simple experiment quickly turned into something more serious. She began baking regularly at home, often with friends, and it gradually grew into sharing her pastries with a wider community. We eventually joined a small farmers’ market in Vernon Hills, Illinois, which gave us the confidence to start thinking about this as something long-term.
A family friend who had moved to North Carolina encouraged us to consider relocating and building the business there. We decided to take that step, packed everything into a U-Haul, and moved. When we arrived in Raleigh, we were fortunate to have support from people around us, including our neighbor Laura, who helped us get settled and eventually guided us to a spot at the State Farmers Market.
At that point, we had a clear product, but we still needed a way to reach people and bring them to our stand. I took on that responsibility by building our social media presence and website from the ground up. It became an important part of how we grew, not just for visibility, but for staying connected with customers, gathering feedback, and managing custom orders. That direct line of communication helped us build a steady customer base.
We started with four types of scones, one table, and two chairs. About three years later, we offer more than 15 varieties of pastries, many inspired by Asian flavors, and have built a strong group of regular customers who come back to find us each week. Along the way, we also developed our signature item, the Logie Donut, named after the person who started it all. It has become one of the things people specifically come looking for. It has been a gradual process of building, adapting, and finding our place in the community, and we are continuing to grow from here.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Moving to a completely new state meant starting from zero. We did not have an established network, and everything felt unfamiliar, from the environment to the customer base. Introducing Asian baked goods in a setting that leans more toward traditional Southern flavors came with a lot of uncertainty. We were not always sure how people would respond or how to position ourselves, so it became a constant process of adjusting and learning as we went.
One of the biggest challenges early on was simply getting a spot to sell. Before we secured a permanent space at the State Farmers Market, we were considered non-permanent vendors. That meant the only way to get a spot was to show up at 8 in the morning on market days and hope there was availability. The reality was much tougher. There were more vendors than spaces, and everyone was working just as hard to build something of their own. Many vendors, including us, started arriving the night before and sleeping in the parking lot in hopes of securing a spot. It became part of our routine for months. There were a lot of long nights, early mornings, and moments where we questioned how long we could keep going like that, but we kept showing up.
At the production level, things were just as demanding. In the beginning, we baked everything out of a certified home kitchen instead of a commercial one. With a home oven, production was slow and physically exhausting. We were baking seven days a week, often starting around 7 in the morning and not finishing until 2 the next day. It became a constant cycle of baking, cooling, and packing, with very little time to rest.
Looking back, those early stages were some of the hardest, but they also shaped how we operate today. They taught us patience, how to adapt quickly, and how to keep going even when things felt uncertain.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Bakery Story is a family-owned Asian bakery run by Korean Americans. We specialize in a mix of savory and sweet pastries that reflect both comfort food and our cultural background.
On the savory side, some of our most popular items include kimchi croquettes, potato croquettes, and bulgogi mozzarella buns. On the sweet side, we are known for cream-filled donuts, fruit cream sandwiches, and ube-based pastries. Ube has become one of our most popular flavors, and it is something we started working with early on after it was recommended by a Filipino friend back in 2019, before it became widely popular. It has since become a staple on our menu. Our goal has always been to create items that feel familiar and comforting, while also introducing flavors that many customers may not have tried before.
What sets us apart is the balance between tradition and creativity. Many of our recipes are inspired by Korean flavors and ingredients, but we also explore other Asian influences in a way that feels approachable and welcoming. We are not focused on just one category of bakery items. Instead, we offer a range that brings people in for both a quick treat and something more unique they might not find elsewhere at the market.
As a brand, what we are most proud of is how personal everything still is. Every item is made from scratch, and as a family business, we are involved in every step from baking to serving customers at the market. Over time, we have also built strong relationships with our regular customers, many of whom come back weekly and have become part of our story.
At its core, Bakery Story is about sharing food that connects people. We want customers to experience something new, while also feeling the warmth and care behind everything we make.
Pricing:
- Cream-filled donut (Strawberry/Ube): $6.50
- Ube Cheese Cake Muffin: $7.00
- Strawberry Cream Sando: $9.00
- Bulgogi Mozzarella Bun: $8.50
- Kimchi/Potato Croquette: $8.50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bakerystory26.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bakerystory_26/
