Faces of Main Street: Desra Wells from Blackbird Bakery

For Desra Wells, baking is a way to take care of people. She grew up in restaurants, watching her mom cook and learning that food can be a language of love. “We were always surrounded with food,” she says. “I think I got that from her, showing love through food. When I had children, I started baking for them, and it just went from there.” 

That homegrown passion became a plan in 2012. She earned a cottage baking license and began selling her goodies at farmers markets and delivering to shops throughout town. After about a year she moved into the same space as Relax, It’s Just Coffee, and today both businesses still operate under one roof. Their winning combination of coffee and from-scratch baked goods has made their shop at 105 N. Main a local favorite for morning commuters looking for their caffeine fix as well as for those looking to sit down, relax, and stay a while.

At Blackbird, Desra leads a small full-time team who share the same passion for good food to keep the case full and handle custom orders throughout the week. The standard has not changed since day one. “We really strive, since the beginning, to use whole ingredients and bake seasonally with produce from around the region,” Desra says. “We bake completely from scratch… there are no cake mixes.” You can taste that commitment in the way regulars talk about their favorites and in the seasonal flavors that rotate across the menu.

Custom work is a steady part of the rhythm. Birthday cakes, custom cookies, and pastry trays for meetings help anchor the calendar alongside daily foot traffic. Desra is quick to point out that nearby bakeries have their own strengths and that the variety makes downtown better. “We all have our little niche and it works. We all work together,” she says. That cooperative spirit shows up in referrals, in shared customers, and in the way a good pastry can turn a quick stop into a conversation.   

Asked what she is looking forward to when the Main Street project wraps, and she talks about momentum. “People are going to be curious,” she says, which means more first-time visitors and more reasons for regulars to linger. “Anything to beautify our area is a good thing… I hope it brings more businesses down here. The more businesses we have, the better we all do.” A refreshed streetscape and the visibility that comes with it can also shift old perceptions along for those who don’t realize all that downtown has to offer. 

As any regular at Blackbird can tell you, once you try one of their fresh treats, you’ll keep coming back for more. So, if you haven’t visited before, drop in for a coffee and an apple pop tart, maple pecan shortbread, or slice of pumpkin cake. We promise you’ll taste the love in every morsel. That care is the heart of Desra’s work and a big reason so many mornings in Mansfield begin here.