The sign is up and the doors are open at Nancy Ames’ Sullivan House Bakery and Cafe in the heart of Gorham Village. Although they have many delicious baked goods for sale including chocolate chip cookies made with her grandmother’s recipe, this isn’t your grandma’s bakery. The minute the delicious aroma draws you in, you can feel the modern Victorian farmhouse vibe.

From the beautiful Victorian furniture, the unique artwork on the walls and ceilings, to the electric outlets at every table, you are drawn into a clean, warm, welcoming space where you can grab a bite or a beverage and relax with a few friends or plug in your laptop and do some homework. They even have a large table you can reserve for small meetings, and a smattering of bistro tables and chairs outside for dining al fresco.

Sullivan House Bakery and Cafe also has an inspiring mission. One of the bakery’s major goals is to give back to the community, beginning with donating a loaf of bread to local nonprofits for every loaf they sell.

In the future they plan to offer internships for local youth to inspire the love of baking and work with the food pantry and the school’s backpack program. But the giving has already begun. “Last week we donated 20 loaves to The Inn at Village Square , a non-profit assisted living community in Gorham,” Nancy explained.

Nancy, the owner, who was born and raised in New York, has lived all around the globe working predominantly in HR in the insurance industry before landing in Gorham, Maine. In the early nineties she had her first opportunity to follow her dream and took on a part-time internship with a Vermont bakery where she was able to learn not only how to bake but also how to manage a bakery, all while maintaining her day job.

Life got messy, as it does, so her bakery dreams were put on the back burner for a while. Then, in 2005, when Progressive relocated her to their Portland office, she and her husband and their two children moved to Maine. Her husband, Jim Svendsen, opened The Gorham School of Music, and she eventually worked at UNUM until her job was eliminated in 2019.

But lucky for Gorham residents, as Nancy was driving her cousin to work one day, feeling low about being unemployed, her cousin asked how she was. That simple question triggered an enthusiastic conversation about Nancy’s passion to bake. When her cousin asked her why she didn’t just open up a bakery, Nancy was inspired and before they got to their final destination she had a whole business plan sketched out.

Another moment of kismet occurred shortly thereafter, when she noticed a building space for lease in the village. After a couple of conversations with the more than amicable landlord, she had found her location, location, location.

With the tireless help of KG Wentworth, Nancy’s right-hand since the bakery’s inception and now Business Manager, they converted the former Grit and Grace CrossFit space into a working bakery.

Al MacDonald, a retired local kitchen designer, not only was instrumental in assisting with the design and layout, but also referred Nancy to many other local artisans who helped in a variety of ways.

“I am so humbled by the outpouring of the community assistance I have received at every step of my adventure. This town has been so helpful and I’ve really found the creative side of myself,” Nancy shared.

Gorham’s Economic Development Director, Kevin Jensen, assisted with financing via the town’s Revolving Loan Fund and also introduced her to other available resources. Cindy Thompson of Transformit and local artist who has worked for Disney and MGM, created unique fabric sculptures that are suspended from the ceiling, which are both noise canceling as well as beautiful.