By CHANET STEVENSON, staff reporter
Located on Main Street next to Q Nails, Daily Bread & Mercantile is unlike any other deli in Ellensburg.
With short wooden shelves stocked with old-fashioned candies and baking supplies, the deli takes on a look similar to that of Olson’s Mercantile in “Little House on the Prairie.”
Chalkboards sit at the end of each shelf along the red and yellow hued walls, with neatly hand-written descriptions of what each shelf contains.
It was a Saturday afternoon when owner Matt Wise and his wife Dana were driving to a wedding in Cle Elum.
While on their way, Matt was scrolling through Craigslist postings on his phone, when he came across one from a man in Seattle selling coolers and other deli supplies.
It was this chance discovery that they took as a sign for them to open Daily Bread & Mercantile.
As a family-owned business, all baked goods are made by the Wises, including yeast breads, Danishes, pies, scones, and Matt’s favorite, cinnamon rolls.
“I’m usually in the back doing the baking,” Dana said. For her, baking breads is her favorite thing to bake, because she enjoys the challenge of baking different breads every morning. She explained how their daughter, Kyra, bakes and decorates most of the cupcakes.
Brooke Wolsky, a senior nutrition major at Central Washington University, said she first heard about Daily Bread & Mercantile when her boss brought in cinnamon rolls to work one day.
She liked the cinnamon rolls so much that Wolsky described how she plans to visit the deli sometime herself to try out some of their other selections.
Matt explained how their lunch menu has become a favorite among customers looking to order sandwiches, because both the meats and cheeses used contain few preservatives, making them a more wholesome food choice. The bakery also offer various homemade soups every day.
“We do have some unique, hard-to-find bulk items,” Matt said. These bulk items include old-fashioned candies and beverages that are difficult to find elsewhere. Gluten-free products, such as baking supplies, can also be found at Daily Bread & Mercantile.
Wise and his wife moved up to Washington from California in order to be closer to their son, Jadon, and daughter-in-law Mindy.
The entire Wise family, including their youngest daughter Kyra, works in the deli. Matt also owns Wise Automotive, which he ran full time for over six years before opening the deli.
“When someone comes through that door, they make a choice to want to be here,” Matt said, explaining how that is his favorite difference between his deli customers and his automotive shop customers.
This is because the customers who visit his repair shop tend to come because they have to get something fixed which results in a much less friendly demeanor than those of the customers who visit the deli because they choose to.
Since Daily Bread & Mercantile opened last November, its Facebook page has received over 700 likes.
However, despite the deli’s growing clientele, Matt hopes for the business to remain small enough that it can maintain a “hometown” vibe to it.
He also hopes to someday be able to recognize customers by their faces and names.
Matt describes himself as very conservative, so if they ever expand the deli, it will be because they know for sure they have enough business to sustain changes.
As for future plans for Daily Bread & Mercantile, the Wises are working to learn the art of baking gluten-free pastries to be sold in the deli. They also hope to eventually incorporate ready-to-order homemade meals which the customer can take home for dinner.