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This week, 27 years ago, marks the opening of the Goodwill Bakery in Stoughton.

After moving from Foam Lake with her family, Faye Konjolka, decided to open a bakery. She had gained knowledge from her brother who owned a bakery in Foam Lake and with some of his recipes she has since been baking and serving Stoughton and the community.

"I don't have any training, everything I've learnt I've learned by the seat of my pants," Konjolka laughed.

Though recipes for buns and bread haven't been changed, Konjolka has introduced new items over the years including flax bread and nine-grain bread. Though she is proud to say her baking has no preservatives in it.

"We're totally from scratch: flour, yeast, water, and oil, sugar and salt," Konjolka explained.

"I tell everybody be aware, it's just like your mom made at home, and if your mom never made bread, well then it's like your grandma made it."

Laughing Konjolka relayed a story of a gentleman who had stopped in for some bread not that long ago. The customer questioned the longevity of the bread to which Konjolka explained it would begin to dry out by the fourth day he had it and by the seventh it would be mouldy. Excited the man relayed that this was exactly what he was looking for as he had bought bread from a store in December claiming it still hadn't gone bad yet.

The Goodwill Bakery is open everyday, except Sundays and Friday afternoons are the only time they are not in the back baking.

With six daughters, Konjolka always had help in the bakery and three of her daughters continue to work in it today with her eldest and two youngest still involved.

"I have six girls altogether and every one of them have worked here," Konjolka explained, happily stating that the business has been a great place to raise a family. With a new granddaughter a mere three months old, Konjolka is excited to introduce another family member to the business.

Despite having hired others throughout the year as well, Konjolka has found it difficult to keep employees with the odd hours a baker may keep. Waking up early in the morning to begin filling orders and making doughnuts, the afternoons are then consumed by baking which can last well into the evening.

"...about two o'clock or three o'clock we start baking and we bake til we're done, which can be 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock, or 9 o'clock it doesn't matter, that's when we bake," Konjolka said.

In addition to keeping the bakery stocked with items, Konjolka also takes her baking to a number of communities in the surrounding areas with a route north of Stoughton as well as a few stops in Estevan.

This need to expand into other communities actually developed within the business plan of the bakery.

"When we moved here Stoughton had 600 people here and everybody said, 'You're not going to make it anyway.'" Konjolka said. "... I mean really a bakery in a small town does not survive... even if everybody came once a day, how much money are you really making? So it was a case of how can we do it. So we progressively started expanding and we realized we'd have to eventually do some sort of route system."

The bakery has seen success over the years and approximately 18 years ago, Konjolka said they were able to add an addition to the building as well as equipment. This Konjolka has found to be extremely helpful in remaining organized while filling orders and attempting to meet demand each day.

One of the big items, which seem to sell each day, though some days can be slower, are Konjolka's delicious doughnuts.

"That showpiece was full this morning," Konjolka said pointing towards her nearly empty display. "I make probably 18 to 25 dozen a day and we sell a lot the boys here the rigs the construction... there's lots of people and we have a really good clientele as far as doughnuts go..."

"There are days when doughnuts sell really good and there's days when we have ppl come from Redvers for bread."

In addition to the baking which can be found at the Goodwill Bakery, one can find a hot cup of coffee. With tables set out it becomes a perfect place to have one's morning coffee or take a break throughout the day.

"[I've] always had coffee, it's just something little... you can have a doughnut [and] a cup of coffee, I've even had people sit down and have a pie..."

Though this typically leads to people questioning if Konjolka would think to expand her services to include other types of food, she is quite content with how the business is running and has decided not to expand but to focus on the delicious items she currently produces.

The years have been good to Konjolka who is happy to have competition in the area too including McGavin's, Weston's, and the Carlyle Bakery.

While sitting with The Observer, Konjolka was called to the counter where she sold doughnuts and bread, but was happy to welcome a regular coffee customer Dale Payton who has been going to the Goodwill Bakery for coffee for many years.

"It's just a wonderful place to come to in the morning," Payton explained. "You see a lot of people come and go from different areas."