TURNERS FALLS — Even after moving to Fourth Street in 2012, the former 2nd Street Baking Co. kept its name, a message from owner Laura Puchalski to her faithful patrons that she wouldn’t forget the business’ history. Now, more than a decade later and more than 200 miles away, the bakery holds it just as dear.

Despite moving to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and rebranding her business as “Farm 23,” Puchalski said she has been “seeing more and more familiar faces coming in” from the Franklin County area to say hello and buy the pastries they’d once loved. This high magnitude of interest and care prompted her to begin a new Facebook page, titled “Where In The World Is 2nd Street Baking Co.,” in an effort to connect with former customers who miss what had once been a village staple in Turners Falls. The page already has 135 followers.

“We wish we could’ve taken them all with us,” she said.

2nd Street Baking Co., which opened in 2007, had been owned and operated by Puchalski and her husband, Josh, until December 2018, at which point they sold the business to move to Maine. It was then operated by Daniela Speas, who had previously worked as a cake decorator for the Puchalskis, until she decided to close the shop in 2020.

Meanwhile, according to Laura, the Puchalskis spent more than a year looking for the right place to call home in Maine, traveling the entirety of its coast before settling on Boothbay Harbor in 2019. They bought a 5-acre property with an 1850s farmhouse and opened their new bakery in September 2019.

The new name, Farm 23, recognizes the shop’s farm-to-table focus and the owners’ June 23rd wedding anniversary date. Aside from an emphasis on home-sourced ingredients, the new bakery has added espresso drinks and a gift shop to its signature selection of pastries.

“As time kinda went on … we started seeing more and more familiar faces coming in,” Pulchaski said.

Since opening Farm 23, around three to four dozen groups of people have made the drive up from the Pioneer Valley and stopped by the shop, with many citing their nostalgia for 2nd Street Baking Co. as a primary reason for making the visit to Boothbay Harbor, she commented. Others, she said, happened to be on vacation when they stopped in by coincidence and realized they were closer to home than they’d thought. Three to four dozen more, still, have reached out to reconnect via phone or by mailing a letter.

“We had a lot of relationships with a lot of people,” Pulchaski said of her time in Turners Falls. “We made a lot of friends. … It’s food that makes people happy.”

Pulchaski hopes more people consider Boothbay Harbor as a vacation destination and stop by Farm 23 for a treat. Alternatively, she encourages those who can’t make the trip to stay in touch via Facebook and on Instagram at @farm23_boothbay_harbor.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.