Editors note: A previous version of this story had the wrong date of ownership transfer. That date was Feb. 8, 2023.
After 110 years and four generations, the longtime Taylor’s Bakery in Indianapolis and Fishers has changed ownership.
But customers should rest assured that the new owner plans to maintain the quality they’ve come to expect from Taylor’s Bakery.
Brothers Drew and Matt Allen of Fishers co-owned the bakery until Feb. 8, when the transfer of ownership became official. But they didn’t stop working at the business right away. Drew Allen said they still went in to help with the transition, and make sure the new owner, Burrows Holdings, a family company, had all the tools, tricks and special recipes needed to maintain the business that will continue to carry their family’s name.
Taylor’s Bakery was founded in 1913 by D.O. Taylor, the Allens’ great-grandfather. Drew Allen said that makes the emotional attachment to the business even stronger.
“I’ve been explaining it to my friends — my name is on that building,” he said. “My middle name is Taylor. My great grandfather was a Taylor. My grandmother was the second generation of the business. So when she married, the name became Allen, but my son has the middle name Taylor; my dog has a middle name Taylor.”
So, the business was a huge part of his life, and was very demanding. Allen said.
“It’s a very intense business,” he said. “It really never sleeps. Even if your doors aren’t open, you’ve got people working; you’re always preparing for the next day.”
The intensity is a big reason why the brothers made the difficult decision to sell. They had been missing out on family activities, Allen said, and so they sat down with the whole family to talk about it. They all agreed it was the right choice, and they started the lengthy, time-consuming process of selling a business.
Unfortunately, during that process both of the Allens’ parents died within a year of each other. Their father in early 2022, and their mother just this year as the deal to sell the business was coming to a close.
“It just happened so fast with mom, and then the business — not only was the business intense, but then selling it. You can’t tell anyone what you’re doing. And so it just – it was awful timing, but everything was in motion, and we just kind of had to follow through on it. So we were literally balancing the loss of Mom, and then the sale of the business, and then mom’s funeral.”
Allen said that since the sale, he and Matt Allen have been going in daily to help with the transition and make sure the business continues to succeed. He said the sale contract stipulated that all employees would keep their jobs, and among their advice to the new owner was: take care of your employees.
“You guide and you provide them a good job. And if everything goes right, over decades, people show up and they continue to perform,” he said. “There’s just so much hard work behind the scenes. And then you go in on a Saturday morning and you see just an enormous amount of product made. And that was always the reward for me.”
That daily involvement is starting to slow down now, though, and Allen said he’s been able to do things with his family that he was never able to do before.
“I’ve had so many people say, ‘Oh, my gosh, what are you going to do? What are you going to do?’ And my answer is, I’m going to be a dad,” he said. “I literally woke up and made my son a breakfast sandwich. And I drive him to school when I can. I’ve been on field trips, which I’ve never done before, which is crazy. Now I can coach. It’s opened up a lot of family (time) for me, which is just great.”
That doesn’t mean he’s going to stay out of the business world forever, though. Allen said he has some plans in the works for future endeavors.
“I’m an entrepreneur at heart. So I already have several things going on that I’m super excited about,” he said. “I’m totally reenergized. So, I mean, it’s — it’s great. I’m very happy.”
Taylor’s Bakery’s original location is 6216 Allisonville Rd. in Indianapolis. The Fishers location opened in 2003 at 8395 East 116th St. The business started a website during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they’ve maintained that online ordering service. It can be found at taylorsbakery.bakesmart.com
