Celebrating over 100 years of baking excellence
Williams Bakery goes back a long way. Around 1911 H. B. (Bert) Williams opened his bakery at 30th and Marshall Streets in the Church Hill section of Richmond. With the theme "Quality Sells", his was soon the largest bakery in Richmond. When he sold his bakery in 1944, his reputation was so good, the business continued to carry his name for over three decades.
In 1963, H. B.'s son, William (Bill), opened his own bakery while the former Williams Bakery was operating on Governor's Street. So as not to be confused, the new bakery was named W. H. Williams Bakery of Mechanicsville. For years, the operation was small employing four full-time employees and one part-time student. In 1974, the building was expanded to increase the production area. The name was changed back to Williams Bakery in 1978 when the Davis Bakery bought the old Williams Bakery and renamed it.
In 1983, Bill retired but remained the owner. His son Ron managed the business until he became the new owner in 1990.
"We make everything from scratch," says Ron. "The fruitcakes don't contain fillers; they're loaded with pineapple, cherries and pecans. We start with raw ingredients like grandma does from scratch. Our cream custard, which is made every morning from scratch, is a secret recipe. The carrot cake is from my mother's formula, the same one I ate when I was a kid."
Pound cakes, fruitcakes, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, pies, danish pastries, eclairs, bar cookies and breads are just a few of the items that are available in each location. The formulas used for each delicious item have been passed down through the Williams family since the original bakery on Church Hill. Nothing says "quality" like the test of time, and all of the recipes used are favorites that the bakery has been using to make its products for years.
The hardest decision that has to be made every day is how much product to produce. Variables like the weather, the time of the month's holidays, what sold last week, etc., must all be considered. We want to please all of our customers by having exactly what they want, but since we never use preservatives in anything we make, this is not always feasible. In the end it's just a guess at best. Come by and see for yourself why we've been one of the area's favorites bakeries for the last 40 years. We have four locations to better serve you!
