By Amanda Raymond

amanda.raymond@salisburypost.com

Your craving for fresh bread will finally be satisfied by a bakery coming to 1024 S. Fulton St.

Better Loafing Artisan Bread Company will have its grand opening on Feb. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tom Marts, owner of the business, said he wanted to open the bakery so it could offer others the things he always had to travel to buy.

“I’ve been here 22 years and have missed being able to go get fresh bread,” he said.

The bakery will have savory, sweet and specialty breads, with certain items being available in the morning and others in the afternoon.

He will also be doing custom orders.

“It says artisan on the door because I’m baking everything myself. I’m not bringing anything in pre-made and throwing it in the oven,” he said. “I’m doing everything myself.”

Not only will the business offer freshly baked bread and pastries, but there are also jams, jellies, salsas and cheese from Ashe County. In the future, Marts is planning to bring in meats, oils and vinegars.

He wants the products offered in the bakery to be as local as possible.

“I’m trying to keep it organic and I’m trying to keep it North Carolina local,” he said, while also saying he was trying to work with as many people from Rowan County as he could.

Marts said he does not need all of the space that the location on South Fulton offers, so he will be opening up some of the space to other local vendors so that the bakery will be more like a market than a café.

He said it would be nice to be a place where the local community can come by and quickly grab a pound of sugar or flour when they run out.

Marts also hopes to have bakery-related kitchen items and products for sale and a Kannapolis hand-crafted candy maker will have a spot in the bakery.

“I just want people to be able to get what they want or what they need immediately in the neighborhood,” he said.

Although Marts has been baking since he was about 11, he said he is pretty flexible with his baking style and what items he wants to offer customers. He said he is looking forward to customer feedback.

“I’m kind of laid back with it. Nothing I have is set in stone,” he said.

One thing he does not want to do is duplicate what is already available in the downtown area. He will not be offering items like cakes or coffee in the bakery because places like Abigail’s Bakery and Mean Mug are already offering those things.

“Abigail does a wonderful cake. If you come in and say you want a cake, I’ll give you her card,” he said.

Marts said he wants to be able to offer the community a fresh loaf of bread that is both good-tasting and affordable.

“I want to get a good balance between quality and price,” he said.

For more information on the bakery, visit www.facebook.com/betterloafing.

Contact reporter Amanda Raymond at 704-797-4222.