By Elizabeth Barricklow

How David & Bronwyn Barricklow learned to walk in faith through the unexpected.

This is one of the many lessons my parents, Bronwyn and David Barricklow, have learned through almost five decades of marriage and business ownership – two journeys of faith that have a lot in common, as they see it. 

“Whether you’re starting a business or getting married, you never really have the full picture of what you’re getting into. But that’s part of the process and the beauty of our journey with God. There’s a level of optimism and naivety that is healthy… But it’s never what you thought it would be,” Dave says.

Bronwyn agrees. “If you knew everything ahead of time, there’s probably a lot of things you wouldn’t do… But I think it’s all part of God’s plan.”

Would they have opened a new bakery and pizzeria in 2019 in North Wilkesboro if they had known what would happen in 2020? Would they have opened their first bakery back in the 1970’s in Michigan if they had known how much its success would demand of them? Or that they would end up selling it, after 25 years, in order to save their marriage? Who knows? What my parents do know (and have always tried to teach my brothers and me) is that wherever you are, God is there with you - ready to teach you and love you in ways you never anticipated. Now that my parents are in what they call their “third phase of life,” they are eager to share both the lessons and the blessings they’ve gathered over the years.

When David and Bronwyn got married and opened their first bakery, they had no idea what they were getting into (as far as marriage or business).

Dave grew up on a dairy farm in the small town of Onsted, Michigan and always wanted to own his own business. While working in a bakery during college, he realized he loved baking as much as he loved donuts and the dream of “Dom Bakeries” was born. (Dave and his friend Tom combined their names to make “Dom.” Tom decided to be a teacher instead of a baker, but the name stuck.) 

Bronwyn came from a middle-class family in Cleveland and had always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. “My idea of marriage was this idealistic picture of being in love, having kids, having a home…” 

Both the country boy and the city girl believed the bakery would be a great opportunity to serve the Lord. “We were young and enthusiastic about our faith. (We thought) we’d be successful and would be able to donate lots of money to missions and programs in the name of Jesus.” 

Despite the unexpected challenges of the 1970’s economy, the business was, indeed, blessed with success. Over the next couple of decades, Dom Bakeries became a household name in the Ann Arbor area. My three brothers and I grew up working in the bakery – wiping off counters, boxing up orders, standing on overturned buckets to load the commercial dishwasher… We learned invaluable lessons about responsibility, teamwork, etc. (most of which, I didn’t truly appreciate until later in life). But we also saw our parents struggling with the burden of financial strain and long working hours. 

During that time, Dave recalls, “We blew up. We went from one store to nine stores, zero kids to four kids… Life got really busy. And the balance between (Bronwyn and I) got further away.”

“I had pulled away from the bakery when we started having kids,” Bronwyn says. “(By the time the older two were in high school), I was focused 100% on family and home. He was focused 100% on work and providing. I didn’t really understand how to support him, and he didn’t know how to get time off to be more part of the family.”

On the surface, it seemed their dreams had come true: they had a family, a home, a successful business… But looking back, Bronwyn realizes their dreams had become their idols. “God’s commands are always for our good, but I hadn’t realized that the first one (Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.) was really about protecting us. Whenever we put something before God, it hurts us rather than helps us.”

“We’d created a monster of this business,” says Dave. “But, through it all, we were both looking intently to God for answers. And He began to act. First, it was Bronwyn…”

“I decided I couldn’t do marriage like that anymore,” Bronwyn says. “I felt like I was just watching him punch his time clock until he died. He was tired and unhappy, and I was struggling to keep that from overflowing into the family.” 

They chose marriage over the business and decided to sell. “We sold it in two weeks to the first buyers.” (The family who bought Dom Bakeries in the late 90’s is still running the main store in Ypsilanti with continued success.) Next, they sold the house and moved to Dave’s hometown, about an hour away, for a fresh start. They both agree, “It was the greatest thing we ever did.” 

After they moved, something truly incredible happened: they switched places. Bronwyn took a full-time teaching job and became the breadwinner, while Dave was doing the laundry and picking the kids up from school. Suddenly, Bronwyn was more focused on work and Dave on relationships. The lessons were transformative. Bronwyn says, “I needed to learn the reality of what it’s like to work till 7:00pm and then come home. And, yeah, I didn’t feel like being sociable either… Meanwhile, Dave became the social butterfly – reconnecting with people, being part of the community.”

Dave says, “For Bronwyn, (relationship building) came naturally, but for me there was a learning curve. God showed me how fruitful and enjoyable relationships can be.” During their time in Onsted, Dave coached seventh grade basketball, served on the school board, and – still an entrepreneur at heart – ran a carwash and a landscaping/snow removal service with my two younger brothers. Bronwyn says, “By letting go of what we thought we were supposed to be doing, we were able to see that God could use our gifts and talents in different ways.”

Sixteen years later, they decided to uproot and start over once again – this time, in North Carolina, where my brothers and I had re-settled. “We never thought we’d leave Michigan. But then came the grandkids…”

They moved to Wilkes County and opened an Anytime Fitness, which seemed like a perfect semi-retirement gig. “We had both been praying a lot about what to do with this next phase of life… When all the doors started opening, we felt God telling us this was the right move.” 

For Bronwyn, the gym was a chance to serve others and share God’s love. “We’re helping people get healthy and creating a place where they can feel like they belong.” 

As they fell in love with Wilkes, they felt more and more passionate about wanting to invest in the community. “We moved into a community that had been hit pretty hard financially with the loss of (businesses and jobs). But it’s a beautiful town.”

Dave, who is not programmed for retirement (even if it’s “semi”), began to envision a local bakery. “A good bakery can become a destination. It’s a treat,” he says. “And everybody wants a good, fun environment where they can sit and talk with their family or have a business meeting… We started praying about it…” 

When they bought a building and began to renovate, Dave says, “I felt God saying, ‘If you’re going to do this in my name, then do it well. Make something that will be constructive for the community…’ I believe the Kingdom of God is here now and we are all part of it. It’s not just heaven. It’s here and we all have our own Kingdom within it which we’re responsible for, like the parable of the talents... It’s important to me to build something good in God’s Kingdom.”  

In May of 2019, at the ages of seventy (David) and "not-yet-seventy" (Bronwyn), they opened a new Dom Bakeries – this time, also a pizzeria – in downtown North Wilkesboro. 

At first, Bronwyn was not onboard. While Dave missed baking (the part of the business that was his true passion), she remembered the stress. But Dave had moved forward anyway, so Bronwyn turned to God. “I was in a position where someone else had made a decision that would affect my life. As I started praying about this, I realized how many people are there too – dealing with something they didn’t ask for… You can choose to become a bitter person or a better person. If you trust God and allow Him to guide you, he will walk you through it… I’ve learned a ton. God has made me a better person, and I’ve come to a place where I really enjoy it.” 

As with most new businesses, the first year was a test of faith for everyone involved. The baking was familiar, but the restaurant side of the business was new, and that ended up falling on Bronwyn’s shoulders. “It was terrifying at times, trying to manage all the employees and managers and making sure we had supplies… When we first opened, we got slammed and we weren’t ready for it… It was a daily faith walk for me. I had to get in the car every day and say, ‘I can do today. Let’s just do it today.’ And day-by-day, God gets you through.”

As hard as everyone was working, the numbers were not working out, and Dave was as stressed as he’d ever been back in Michigan. “There is always financial pressure in business, especially small businesses because people don’t usually have deep pockets, so you have to borrow money. God calls us to be responsible for the money we’ve borrowed and for the people who work for us, the vendors, the bills…” 

Six months after opening, Bronwyn went into the hospital with heart trouble and had to get a pacemaker. “At that point, I started to question whether I should have done this,” says Dave. He had been sure that God was calling him to start the business, but now he wondered if it was really his own ego. He was frustrated and exhausted. 

Then, as if the situation didn’t already feel like a story from the Old Testament, the pandemic hit. Lockdown started when the business was less than a year old. “We were already losing too much money,” Dave recalls. “Then, COVID put us in a position of ‘do or die.’ We had to decide that we weren’t going to die. This pushed us closer to the Lord.” 

COVID became a perfect example of how God can make anything work for good. “It actually gave us a chance to reboot,” Bronwyn explained. Shutting down the dine-in part of the business relieved some of the workload, the drive-through was a lifesaver, and, most importantly, the community support was incredible. “We had so many people coming in, saying, ‘We want you to stay open. We’re going to support you as much as we can.’” This reaffirmed Dave and Bronwyn’s commitment to Wilkes.    

The business survived 2020 and the faith walk continues. “The business is still evolving,” Dave says. “It's amazing, considering COVID, how well we are doing. We’ve been trying to follow the Lord, asking how He wants this business to work.”

“God has repeatedly fulfilled our needs, but not in the way we expected,” says Bronwyn, who has come to really enjoy the business, especially the people. “Our employees are like family to me. And I love the customers. I’ve realized the little things can really make a difference to people. You can make someone’s day happier, show them you care and that they matter… I want this to be a place where people can come and feel welcome. The love of God can be felt even in a bakery.”

She sees that love in the little things. The ladies playing bridge upstairs by the fireplace. The family with five kids that comes every Friday night for pizza and pastries. And, of course, everyone’s favorite: the little kids who race up to the showcase and press their faces against the glass, as though peering into a magical sugary wonderland. (It’s worth the extra cleaning.) 

For both Bronwyn and Dave, the business is truly a ministry. Bronwyn says, “It’s easy to look at the ‘giants’ of faith – the Billy Grahams of the world who have done amazing things – and elevate those people as if they are on some higher level that we’re all striving to get to, but that’s a mistake. There are no small people. We’re all God’s children doing God’s work. I think God just wants us to hold His hand right where we are.” Even if you’re not where you thought you’d be.