Friday, February 7, 2025

Alanna Thao recently opened Moonlit Bakery on Wausau’s north side

Posted

Alanna Thao poses in a chair with one of her macaron cookie pillows at her The Moonlit Bakery business. The spot at 1720 Merrill Ave. in Wausau is part of a wave of recent bakery openings.
Alanna Thao poses in a chair with one of her macaron cookie pillows at her The Moonlit Bakery business. The spot at 1720 Merrill Ave. in Wausau is …

The chance to take your child to work with you either does not happen or only occurs once a year at most places, but, in a new Wausau bakery, Alanna Thao plays this day out regularly. 

The former home and market baker is the face behind The Moonlit Bakery LLC on Wausau’s west side. The shift from basement and bustling markets to brick-and-mortar officially took place in July. Thao had been operating out of her basement but as the numbers increased, so many people coming into her home started to seem unsettling. 

So she built up a strong customer base that she could transition into a brick and mortar business instead.  

“After a year or two I was confident and thought ‘Maybe I can stop chasing them now and they can start coming to me,’” Thao says. “This is why I decided to take the big leap. We signed a contract with the realtor in February and have done minor remodels and decorating since then.”

Besides the macarons and fusions of croissants with cookies, there are products like boba, bread, and some meats. The last is not a regular occurrence at many bakeries, but Thao adds this is part of a retirement plan for her parents to oversee a deli if they wish to when the time comes. If they decline, Thao and her husband are debating doing away with deli items and focusing on baked goods. 

Either way, another generation of baker is operating in the business.

“My daughter’s bakery is in the back corner,” Thao says. “Her little place to play is the Starlight Bakery in the Starlight Corner. She hires the little customers who come in and we have a miniature cake they can buy and add water to before microwaving it. She is the best employee.” 

In the future, Thao sees her space as one where kids can come and hang out and be safe, a possible host for pop-up businesses without an existing physical presence. While there has been a bakery boom recently, with two Ukranian bakeries and The Chocolate Cafe opening recently, Thao is not worrying about standing out at all. 

“I do not know why so many are here now,” she says. “There is a great and huge bakery community and I wish we could support each other more. Some may say it is competition, but is it really when we are all doing different things? I do not think Wausau is getting saturated.” 

The Moonlit Bakery LLC is located at 1720 Merrill Ave. in the former space for Royal Deli. Those wanting to know more information can go visit The Moonlit Bakery's Facebook page.

Evan J. Pretzer is a freelance contributor to City Pages. He can be reached at evanjpretzer.com or evan.pretzer@protonmail.com.     

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here