Tell us your stories! As we celebrate 70 years, we are thankful for YOU, our guests. You have allowed us to be a part of your lives and memories throughout the years. Tell us your stories, traditions, and special memories. We would love to hear and share them!
Fill out this form and drop in the box at the bakery or email your story, memories and photos to us.
Thank you for letting us be a part of your celebrations for generations!
The History of Dorothy Ann Bakery
Who is Dorothy Ann? Is she --or was she-- a real person? Is she just a corporate image, masterminded by an advertising agency?
To answer those questions you must go back a long way, back to the days when baking and rolling dough were all done by hand and the cost of a blueberry muffin was two cents.
A St. Paul baker named Ed Durin once owned Dorothy Ann Bakery. His wife was also his business partner, waiting on customers with a cheery smile. To honor her, Ed named one of his bakeries after her. In 1951, when Ed was retiring, Walter Grochowski purchased one of Ed's bakeries. It was located on East 7th Street near the 3M tape plant. Since that bakery already had a good reputation and good clientèle, Wally decided not to change the name, even though the bakery had the name of Ed's wife Dorothy Ann!
It proved to be a good name. Wally's Business also thrived and in 1962 he brought Dorothy Ann Bakery to the Sun Ray Shopping Center. The bakery is now owned and operated by Wally's daughter Joan and her husband Steve Conway. In October of 1988, the tradition of good taste continued as Joan and Steve opened the Dorothy Ann Bakery & Cafe in Royal Center, Woodbury. In 1993, the Dorothy Ann Bakery expanded to another location in Woodbury at the City Centre Shoppes. In 2005, the Dorothy Ann Bakery and Cafe moved from Royal Center to a new location on the east side of Woodbury, in the Crossroads Commerce Center.
Even though the original Dorothy Ann no longer waits on customers, her name still stands for friendly service and a tradition of good taste.
