Stacy Lynn and her mother, Doris Kroeker, work at her newly designed booth at the Nebraska State Fair, which is located at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Building.
The Nebraska State Fair is in full swing, as is Stacy Lynn’s Baking Company. Last year was a first for Stacy Dick, who owns and operates her made-from-scratch bakery business in Henderson as a vendor at the Nebraska State Fair. She has a great corner booth near the front of the Expo Building, where hundreds of vendors display their products.
“It’s going really well, and comparing my numbers to last year, my sales are up,” she said. We caught up with her on Tuesday, and her booth was bustling with customers trying her fresh rolls and coffee. She also sells boxes of her rolls frozen at the Fair, just like she does in over 40 grocery stores.
Her bestsellers have been the caramel-pecan cinnamon roll and, after that, the traditional vanilla. “I am getting quite a few customers to try the peanut butter frosted rolls as well. We are encouraged to bring something unique each year, so I’ve put out the peanut butter this year,” said Stacy.
Much planning and work goes into being a vendor at the Nebraska State Fair, and for Stacy, it means figuring out how much product to bring. “Last year was an absolute guess, but this year, I had something to work off of and could plan how much to bake and freeze ahead,” said Stacy.
Even if Stacy runs out of rolls during the day, she can go to the Grand Island Hy-Vee Store, which stocks and sells her products, and take them out of their freezer.
Stacy’s mother Doris was busy taking and serving up orders and here is their portable freezer with frozen rolls for sale.
After her first State Fair experience, she knew she wanted to update her booth for 2024. Her inspiration was the renovations she had seen at the Hatchery in Henderson by owners Jon & Leslie Ruybalid.
“I had a few ideas I gave to Leslie, and she helped create the exact look I wanted, incorporating greenery with a natural wood backdrop,” said Stacy. She also utilized local metal fabricator Earl Ediger to create the metal frames on the front of the booth, designating the ordering and paying areas. Another Henderson native, Rob Friesen, custom-made her signage. “It really was a community effort getting this new booth built,” said Stacy.
Running a booth at the Nebraska State Fair is a big commitment. The Expo building opens up at 10 a.m., but Stacy is there before 8 a.m. to get the coffee going and be available to sell rolls to the other vendors who are getting set up. Vendors must stay open until 9 p.m. for the 11 days of the Fair, but she is clearly up to the task and enjoys it! On Tuesday, her mother, Doris Kroeker, was on hand to handle the crowds alongside Stacy, and she relies on her husband Corey and family and friends to help out.
Being at the State Fair is all about promotion for Stacy. Her product is unique because her rolls are already baked and located in the grocery store’s freezer section. Her primary goal at the State Fair is to get the word out about where folks can buy her product.
“It’s all about education, and this is the perfect place to do it. I find out where they are from and tell them where the closest store is where they can find my rolls. I definitely can see an uptick in my sales after the State Fair,” said Stacy.
