Corn Holes force 130 year old Elkhart bakery to shut down
By Bob Cook,
THG staff writer
The baking business has
always been a labor of love to Elkhart’s Abbott family. Now after 130 years in
business, Abbott Bakeries were forced to close their doors this week due to
bankruptcy. More than 60 workers are now unemployed, including several members
of the Abbott family, who have owned and operated the company since its
foundation by William Abbott in 1873.
Abbott Bakeries, which
also has stores in Mishawaka and Goshen, have closed all three stores because of
a lack of revenue generated the last several months. After being the leading
bakers in the area for generations, the community has boycotted the bakeries due
to negative publicity the company has received over marketing their bite-sized
corn fritters.
“Our corn fritters are
very popular so we decided to create a bite-sized version that could be easily
carried and eaten anywhere,” said Larry Abbott, manager of the Goshen store and
grandson to company owner and family patriarch Joseph Abbott, “We never dreamed
they would lead to the downfall of the company,”
It seems a poor marketing
decision on the part of 91 year-old Joseph Abbott has incensed the community so
extremely that many long-time customers had stopped frequenting Abbott’s
stores. When trying to decide what to call their new sweet-tasting corn treats,
Mr. Abbott decided they should be named “Corn Holes” since they resembled
doughnut holes. Apparently he was unaware of the double meaning these words
hold.
“How is a 90 year-old guy
supposed to know that “corn hole” could mean something else? Paw-paw (Joseph)
seemed so proud to have come up with what he thought was a great name for our
product. We all love him so much that none of us had the heart to tell him. We
had to use it. We figured people would like them so much they would overlook
the name,” said grandson and production manager Steve Abbott.
Soon after choosing a name
for the new product, Abbott’s began their marketing campaign. Billboards began
popping up in the region advertising the mini fritters with slogans like
“Running late? Pack some Corn Holes!” and “Corn Holes: Once you pop’em, you
can’t stop!” Needless to say, locals did not respond well to the ads.
“It is bad enough you
can’t let your kids surf the Internet or watch TV without seeing that kind of
smut,” said local minister Thomas Riley, “Now you can’t even pick up blueberry
muffins after Sunday service without reading that filth in the drive thru
window. The Abbotts will regret this when they are burning in hell with the
devil and his reapers!”
Even long time friends of
the Abbotts are shocked. “They have always seemed like good people, giving to
local charities and sponsoring youth sports. Ol’ Joe used to even answer phones
for the Jerry Lewis telethon until his hearing got so bad,” said local barber
Sam McKenzie, “I can’t believe they would stoop so low just sell a few
fritters.”
The Abbotts’s last-ditch
effort to save the company by changing the name of their Corn Holes to “Joe
Abbott’s Tasty Balls of Corn” failed. The company had already dug a financial
hole so deep there was no getting out. Their creditors foreclosed on their
outstanding loans, forcing the Abbotts to close their stores and sell off assets
to pay the outstanding debts.
After 130 years, Elkhart
and St. Joseph counties are going to have to go elsewhere for their baked goods.
