I like to support "Mom & Pop" businesses. You find a lot of creativity and passion there, because the business is a labor of love instead of a retirement plan.
Recently, I dropped in at The Pioneer Bakery, in Puyallup Washington. This place has been open for several years, and I believe this was my second visit. They offer basic sandwiches for lunch, but their "bread and butter" is baking. Lots of fresh-baked bread, cookies, pastries, etc. Very tasty stuff, in a charming little shop.
I dropped in to purchase a custom-made cake. It was extremely attractive, very tasty (i.e. not too much sugar), and very reasonably priced for custom work. Consider dropping in if you happen to be in the area.
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May 2015 Update: Looks like the domain name is still owned by a real person (as opposed to one of those cyber-squatter aggregaters), but the website is gone. I suspect the business is gone, too, which sucks, since it was a nice place.
