COLORADO SPRINGS — Mark Anthony's Pretzels had a roller coaster of a year during 2020 and attributes continuing operations and success to the amazing outpouring of support from the community.
The small bakery, well known for its soft pretzels which can be found in places such as Phantom Canyon, Bristol Brewing, Beasts and Brews, and more, lost wholesale customers for stretches of time during 2020, which forced a transition.
According to Mark Bryant, owner and operator of Mark Anthony's Pretzels, within five days of the initial loss of wholesale customers, his business had transitioned from wholesale only, to retail.
For a large portion of the year, the shop ran multiple delivery drivers in order to bring orders of tasty pretzels and pretzel bread based items all over the Pikes Peak region.
The operation has since settled into pick-up only and as of the second week of January, Mark reports that his wholesale customers have started to place orders once again.
During 2020, Mark received a great deal of assistance and good will from local organizations as well as an incredible number of individuals within the community.
"Any time I can just go a few feet outside of my door and buy something that supports someone in my local neighborhood, [that] just makes my day," stated one local customer.
"One thing that kind of touched my heart was that it wasn't just people coming to help a pretzel maker, it was people coming together to help a small business," said another customer.
While the added word of mouth and patronage helped sustain the business, the overwhelming amount of kind words and support helped sustain Mark personally.
"I remember coming home reading Facebook comments," commented Mark, "and I still do this, and I'll just sit there and read some of the comments that some of my customers have made, and just [happily] cry."
Going forward, Bryant hopes to at some point secure a location that will allow customers to stop and enjoy pretzels and pretzel based foods on the premises.
"I just want to say thank everybody that has supported me and guys like me."
If you would like to learn more about Mark Anthony's Pretzels and how the business has grown and continues to adapt to the times, CLICK HERE.
