Article: Startup bakeries cook up strategies for online shops; NYC food firms avoid high retail rents by using Web to hawk wares.(NEWS)

Byline: KIRA BINDRIM

Friends were constantly telling Lorin Rokoff to turn her baking hobby into a career. In April 2008, she did, launching Hot Blondies Bakery with co-worker Laura Paterson. The catch: Hot Blondies' only store is online.

Discouraged by high rents and a slowdown in consumer spending, Hot Blondies is one of several fledgling bakeries to test the waters with e-commerce before settling on a brick-and-mortar shop. By taking advantage of social networking to generate buzz, and jumping on partnerships to grow their customer bases, small bakeries are bootstrapping their way to big sales.

Ms. Rokoff, 31, and Ms. Paterson, 34, launched ...

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