Like the smell of baking bread, a sense of community permeated the grand opening of Derryberry Breadery on Wednesday evening.
Dozens turned out for the ribbon cutting ceremony at 5 p.m., In fact, so many customers showed up, the ribbon cutting was delayed for about 20 minutes. Soon after that, owner Hayley Derryberry announced the place had run out of bread and bagels with only cookies and beverages to offer.
The event was the culmination of about two years of work to renovate the former Shannon building at 20 W. Jackson Ave. into a business that sells baked goods, from Derryberry’s signature bagels and sourdough breads to cookies and baguettes, along with fresh-brewed coffee, wine and draft beer. Overhead doors open to the front patio, creating an indoor-outdoor space and a venue for live music.
I went to the grand opening to take photos for the Register. I didn’t plan to write about it. Richard Luken had a terrific article in last Saturday’s paper about the owners, the building and the business. Go read it.
This article, instead, is about watching a couple’s dream become reality.
I first met Paul Porter not long after they moved here. He has provided aerial photos to the Register with his company, Big Square Media; I worked with him to coordinate some of those photos.
Then, mutual friends introduced me to Paul, again, and his wife, Hayley. I was fascinated to learn about their experience as filmmakers and the short horror movie they made in 2012.
They told me about their business plans; I thought they were very ambitious and time would tell if they could pull it off. They did.
I’ve written a handful of articles about them, such as when they took in not just one but two international students last year. I’ve had the chance to get to know them both personally and professionally. They’re fun, quirky and creative.
They’ve embraced life here.
Hayley has acted and directed with the community theater.
Paul plays music with friends of mine; their band, The Trail, performed Wednesday evening. Paul’s been so busy working on the building, the band hasn’t played together since October and had to shake off a few cobwebs.
The couple moved to Iola in 2020 to be close to Paul’s family and start their own, which they did with the birth of their daughter, Billie Jean, in November. Paul’s sister, Cara, is a standout student at Iola High School; his brother, Barry, helped with building renovations. Hayley’s sister recently moved here to help with the breadery and so their daughters can grow up together.
It’s no surprise the business feels so welcoming, like an extension of their family.
AS THE crowd gathered before the ribbon cutting ceremony, I stood in the center of the building, looked around and realized: “I know most of these people.”
I’ve interviewed a lot of them. Many are members of the Iola Chamber of Commerce, business owners and representatives who came for the ribbon cutting. For some, their roots run generations deep and they always turn out to support new businesses and events.
But I noticed another common theme among much of the crowd.
They’re “new.”
That’s how I know them. The Register often writes articles about “new” people: New business owners, new doctors, new directors, new board members, even just “new to town.”
