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Business & Tech

Julian Brothers Bakery Celebrates 40th Anniversary in Clawson

Clawson favorite reaches a milestone anniversary this year in its Rochester Road location, making owner Richard Julian proud to be a part of the community.

 on Rochester Road in Clawson has been a hometown favorite for nearly 40 years. On any given day, lines of people file out the door in hopes of getting a loaf of the bakery’s fresh Italian bread, sweet buttercream-frosted cakes or homemade pizza dough with fixings.

Richard Julian opened his first bakery here, just south of 14 Mile Road, on a whim in November 1971. 

“I was driving down this street 40 years ago and I saw a For Rent sign and I went inside and asked ‘How much do you want for it?’. Then they told me, and I said, ‘I’ll take it’ and I have been here ever since,” Julian said.

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Opening the store in Clawson meant fulfilling a long-awaited dream.

As a young boy, Julian’s interest in the world of baking began when he followed around two of his uncles – one of whom was the general manager of a bakery and the other was a bread truck driver. At 15, he began to learn the process and knew right then that this business was where he belonged.

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Working 12-18 hours per day, 67-year-old Julian manages each aspect of his bakery from supervising staff members, to fulfilling the need for updated machinery, and even making daily deliveries to homes. He can also be seen in the bakery’s front room greeting customers on a first-name basis.

“My brother works harder than anybody I know and his success really shows,” said Kathy Cyr, Richard’s younger sister, who also acts as the bakery’s bookkeeper.

From the wide selection of homemade Italian food including lasagna, multiple types of pizza and cold salads to dozens of tasty selections of pastries including cream-filled cannolis and chocolate éclairs, Julian Brothers Bakery has something for even the most hard-to-please eater.

Each holiday season, desserts such as cupcakes shaped like Easter baskets and sweet-tasting Stollen loaves containing dried fruit leave customers snatching up boxfuls of the goodies. 

“You never have to worry about going across town for something you forgot to grab or putting in a special order, and you don’t have to fight through a supermarket to find the bakery,” said Aaron Segel, a Clawson resident and frequent customer.

In addition to personal home deliveries, the Julian Brothers Bakery also specializes in catering to events such as weddings and lunch parties.

“Any time you need a party somewhere, we will bring our food to you,” Julian said.

Perhaps it is that same sense of willingness to please customers that has won the Julian Brothers Bakery awards over the years, including a special designation from the city of Clawson given to Richard Julian for Business Person of the Year in 2006.

As for future plans, there have been no talks of expansion at this time, but one thing is certain, the bakery plans to remain in Clawson, in the same location where it will soon celebrate its 40th anniversary. 

“There are years that you struggle in this business but the idea that a customer comes in here telling me to please not sell out or close my business because they love coming, I just think is the greatest thing,” Julian said.

Julian Brothers Bakery is located at 518 S. Rochester Rd. and is open Tuesday - Saturday 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.;  Sunday: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. and closed Monday except for catering. To find out more information, visit the bakery’s website or call 248-588-0280.

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