By Lillian Sage 

When walking into a party, what are the things that people should expect to see? There might be people chit-chatting and laughing together. Maybe music is playing and guests are swaying to the beat. If it is a birthday party, there could be gifts and wrapping paper everywhere. 

There is also a consensus that some baked good or pastry will be at these get-togethers. Here in Northwest Arkansas, these sweets often come from Rick’s Bakery. 

Located off of College Avenue, Rick’s Bakery has been serving the people of Northwest Arkansas since 1980. From donuts to custom cake orders, the bakery has something for everyone’s sweet tooth. 

Chelsea Ecklund, manager of Rick’s Bakery’s Streetside Studio, has been working there for nine years. On top of managing the Streetside Studio, she also works on the bakery’s social media and places orders. 

Ecklund discussed how Rick, the bakery’s founder, originally wanted to make donuts. There were multiple storefronts before they decided to focus on the one in Fayetteville. Today, there is another Rick’s Bakery in Rogers as well. 

“We have every type of small dessert,” Ecklund said, “and then you can come in and get all sorts of different cakes for an occasion. I think that definitely is what keeps us relevant and eclectic, it’s kind of a hodgepodge of different things.”

Ecklund said there is a lot of action that goes on that the customers do not see that keeps Rick’s going. 

“It can be really hard because we put a lot of our heart and time into the things that we do here,” Ecklund said, “and we make mistakes just like anyone else. So, I think I just want customers to know the amount of care and commitment that goes into every product.”

Ecklund mentioned that Rick’s Bakery is the only bakery licensed to use the Razorbacks logo and brand, and this helps the bakery to have a culture within Northwest Arkansas, she said

Samantha Powell, a salesperson at Rick’s, has only been there for about six months, but sees Rick’s as a family. Powell mentioned how everyone who works there wants to help the customers with whatever they can. 

“It’s like the community, too,” Powell said. “Everyone’s really tight-knit. Everyone always makes you feel welcome when you come in. Everything is made with love and by hand. Nothing’s really mass-produced. We have a bunch of hard-working people making everything every morning.”

Powell said her favorite part about Rick’s, after getting free donuts, is being able to see all the different custom cake orders come together.

Ecklund said Rick’s wife was the one who wanted the bakery to step into the world of decorating cakes. This is where the Streetside Studio comes into the picture–a section of the bakery where they have cake decorating classes and other workshops. 

Lynlee Rankin, a senior at the University of Arkansas, attended one of the cake decorating classes through her sorority. Rankin discussed how the teacher was helpful and knew what she was doing. 

On top of attending the class, Rankin mentioned she sees Rick’s products a lot, whether it is through her sorority or through the university. Whenever Rankin is in town for an event, she heads to Rick’s for the sweets.

“You can taste the quality in everything they do,” Rankin said. “You can tell it’s homemade, or at least it’s not bulk importing frozen brownies and throwing them in the oven. You can definitely tell everyone that works there is knowledgeable.” 

Ecklund said her nine years of working there have felt like a blur. She described how, in general, it feels like the bakery has not changed, but this is not the case. By working on the social media side, Ecklund said she can see the progress made just by looking at old photos of products from the bakery. 

“It’s crazy because it just shows you that you can go even further,” Ecklund said. “It’s a lot of pressure to keep reinventing the wheel, but it’s the same thing, just better every year.

Everybody gets a little bit better. We’re constantly improving ourselves on the same things.” 

Those who have visited the bakery claim the popularity of Rick’s within Northwest Arkansas is thanks to the staff, the quality, and the variety. If you are in need of something to curb your sweet tooth, keep Rick’s in mind.