Our Story

Archie Garner Sr. is the owner and head baker at Archie’s Hough Bakeries. He was born in Wildwood, Tennessee where he was raised by his grandmother. Watching her prepare meals for the family is where he developed his initial interest in cooking and baking. Archie and his cousins would spend the summers in Cleveland visiting his aunt, who lived on the east side, where he fell in love with the city. After graduating high school in 1966, he moved to Cleveland and was hired at Hough Bakeries in 1968. Archie's first job at Hough Bakeries was in the sanitation department at the main plant on Lakeview Avenue.

 

At the time, Archie was simply looking to provide for his young family and didn’t realize that beginning his career at Hough would reignite his love for baking and lead him to one day owning his own business. After working a few years in sanitation, he earned a role in the production department. After 12 years honing his skills in production, Archie mastered his craft and earned the role as Head Baker for the renowned Hough Bakeries catering department. He would go on to deliver exceptional quality in this role for the next nine years.

 

After decades of business throughout the greater Cleveland area and beyond, Hough Bakeries sadly closed its doors in August of 1992. Archie set out to fulfill his dream of owning his own bakery and acquired the trademark and rights to the original recipes of Hough Bakeries. In 1994 he established Archie's Lakeshore Bakery, later operating as Archie's Hough Bakeries.

 

Relocating to Beachwood in 2019, Archie currently works alongside his crew that includes his wife Valinda (co-owner), daughters Sandy (Front End Manager & Head Decorator) and Samantha (Decorator & Office Manager) and his son Archie, Jr. (Baker & General Manager). For more than 25 years he has brought back many of Hough’s classic items along with creating new favorites!