Ann's Bakery In Tulsa Damaged In Fire

Fire damages a Tulsa icon early Sunday morning.<br/><br/>Firefighters were called to Annâ€™s Bakery on the corner of Admiral and Harvard at 1:45 a.m. When they arrived smoke was billowing out of the second

Sunday, January 21st 2007, 3:57 pm

By: News On 6

Fire damages a Tulsa icon early Sunday morning.

Firefighters were called to Annâ€™s Bakery on the corner of Admiral and Harvard at 1:45 a.m. When they arrived smoke was billowing out of the second floor.

Fire investigators say the fire started in an upstairs storage area, and no one was hurt.

Ann's Bakery has been serving up sweets in Tulsa for almost 70 years; many Tulsans would hate to lose a sweet spot like Ann's.

Ann herself ran the bakery for decades, she died last year after turning 100. News on 6 reporter Heather Lewin says a new generation picked up where Ann left off.

Sharon Pollock's earliest memories are filled with sweet smells, and the warmth of her mother's oven.

"When I was a little girl I'd crawl down the stairs and come sleep behind the counter," Annâ€™s daughter Sharon Pollock said.

Ann Bay began building her dream before Sharon was born. The Bays bought a home, had it lifted and built the bakery underneath.

"Oh it was her home. Her home away from home. It was her life, she was really proud of it," said Pollock.

When supplies were scarce in the 40's Tulsans lined up outside. Sharon says her parents helped out whenever they could.

"When she would hire somebody she said if they worked on a farm you know to hire them because they're hard workers," Pollock said.

Valuing honesty above all else it wasn't just that perfect baker's touch Ann handed down, but a recipe for life.

"She always instilled in us hard work, I mean they started from scratch. I remember when my dad would walk to deliver pies to people and you don't see that today," she said.

This is still the same oven those first made from scratch cakes were pulled out of on opening day in 1940. And they pride themselves on, whenever possible, baking that way today.

"It just tastes better to us, because we feel like if we don't like it, we don't want to sell it," said Pollock.

Sharon still has her parents' first business ledger; she enjoys looking at how prices changed over the years. The bakery hasn't, she says when they talk about remodeling, customers say no, keep it the same, just the way Ann always had it.

"To always treat your customers fairly, I just remember that year after year, she said if you can give the customers a good price and try to treat them fairly," said Pollock.

They'll keep coming back.