Bakery abruptly leaves downtown, leaves reasons on social media

Published 3:34 pm Tuesday, January 28, 2020

: The downtown space that once was The Mad Baker, is seen empty Tuesday. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post)

A downtown bakery abruptly closed its doors last week leaving just a video message on Facebook as to the reason why.

In a nearly 20-minute video, Felicia McKnight, owner of The Mad Baker, announced the bakery would be closing and that she was moving the business to Tennessee.

McKnight said the move to Tennessee offered her opportunities to grow and expand her business.

“I will also get to attend schools and learn more,” she said on the post.

Mary Jane Wooten, owner of the property, confirmed McKnight had left the downtown location.

Wooten said she had not been made aware of McKnight’s future plans until she saw it on social media.

“I just saw on Facebook, like everybody else, that she was moving to Tennessee and taking the restaurant there,” Wooten said.

McKnight had already vacated the building, Wooten said, before the Facebook post.

The Mad Baker opened in 2015 and was originally owned by Live Work Play Downtown Vicksburg, comprised of Wooten and Daryl Hollingsworth.

Two years ago, Wooten said, she sold the business to McKnight.

In addition to the baked goods available at the bakery, which included cakes, cupcakes and cookies, The Mad Baker’s menu also offered a variety of breakfast foods that were served throughout the day and healthy lunch options.

Now that McKnight has moved her business, Wooten said the property, located at 1119 Washington St., is up for lease.

“It is turn-key with all the restaurant equipment there if anyone wants to open a bakery or a restaurant,” Wooten said. “Or it could be any other type of space.”

Measuring at around 1,500 square feet, the building also has access to its own parking lot as well as parking on China and Grove streets.

There are also eight large apartments above, and approximately 3,750 square feet of retail space beside the property, Wooten said.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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