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After 20 Years, Mother's Macaroons - and Relationship - Still Going Strongby KRISTEN ARMSTRONG, Staff Writer |
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| Most people wouldn't associate
a gas station with a bakery, but on Lee Highway in Arlington, there's a
special connection between the Sunoco station and Mother's Macaroons
bakery next door. Mother's Macaroons owner Kay Lomedico and Sunoco owner Jim Lomedico met about 20 years ago, when Kay was just starting her baking business - and they now are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. “I always jokingly said that if I fell in love, it would be within in a one-block radius of the store, since you can't be much of a bar-hopper when you get up at 3 a.m. [for work],” Kay said. The relationship started slowly, with Jim, “coming in and pretending he needed a muffin,” and Kay stopping by to get gas, but it developed into 10 years of serious dating until the couple married in 1998. And as their relationship grew, so did their businesses, and the bakery is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Kay started the bakery selling just macaroons and a couple of other treats, but now has expanded her offerings to scones, muffins, theme cookies and more. She also sells items from local artisans, including stationery designed by Arlingtonian Tara Claeys, who also created the Mother's Macaroons Web site, which has done wonders for the bakery's mail-order business. And while some couples wouldn't dream of working so close to each other, Kay and Jim use their proximity to their advantage. “Jim is a great pusher of the bakery. People get gas, then come here, or come here and then get gas,” Kay said. “And if I need extra fivers, ones or quarters, I go over to the gas station.” And Jim is always well-fed. “I get a muffin every morning and a brownie every night,” he said. Both Kay and Jim are self-confessed workaholics, and plan on sticking around Lee Highway for a while, though Kay said that after 20 years in business, she wouldn't mind relaxing a little. She said she just wants to make sure she continues to “remain consistent and keep standards as high as they've been” for her loyal Arlington customers. “Arlington for us is such a local place, and people have supported the both of us through the years,” she said. “We live in Arlington, and we just love it.” |
 Kay and Sunoco owner Jim Lomedico met two decades ago, when Kay was just starting her baking business. (Photo by Kristen Armstrong) |