The bakery life is busy.  There are the regulars that know exactly what they are looking for, where it will be placed within the display cabinet and are very much a get in and get out type of customer.  Then there are those that are there for the social interaction, that have pulled up a chair and despite the noise and chatter from other patrons are happy to sit amongst the chaos and savor the moment.

Yet at ‘No Knead to Book’, the newest café which will open its doors inside the Manawatū Community Hub Libraries this July, the quieter location and niche market is a welcomed variation for owners Selena McNabb and her family who have been a long established family business opening and growing the Rosebowl Bakery & Café since 1968.

Intentionally choosing a different name for the new location, Selena saw the opportunity to present a different offering to the community.  “At Rosebowl, we are so busy turning out the coffees and baked goods that although we know our clientele, the pace and layout doesn’t allow to have a chat with regulars while making coffees”, Selena explains.  The footprint of the new space within the Hub on the corner of Bowen and Stafford Street will be a much smaller kitchen but will include an outdoor space, a sunny outlook, and will provide more catering opportunities for onsite meetings and functions.

The Manawatū District Council through an independent contractor, tendered out the opportunity for businesses to put forward their interest in the new café space.  “The long-standing success of the Rosebowl Bakery & Café was certainly an exciting application to join us at the Hub”, Adie Johansen Community Services Manager explains.

The McNabb family recognise that staff turnover in hospitality is often high and at times challenging which is why they have heavily invested in younger staff.  With 50 staff in total, 40 of them under the age of 18, they have found that by investing, believing in and building the confidence of local youth, gives students the skillset and work ethic needed for later on in life.  “As rewarding as running a successful business is, seeing a shy young person apply for a job, work for multiple years, and leave for university or the workforce a confident, assured adult has been a highlight as a business owner,” says Selena.

No Knead to Book, a fun play on words for both the bakery and the library housed within the Hub, will open its doors late July when the Manawatū Community Hub Libraries reopens its doors.  In addition to the café space, the Hub will include a designated space for youth, a Makerspace, a genealogy area and four bookable meeting and event spaces.