A popular cheese shop, bakery and cafe in Soldotna has changed hands.
Kelsey Shields opened Lucy’s Market in 2017. It’s attached to River City Books in Soldotna and offers monthly bread specials, weekly soups and sandwiches and a variety of pastries.
Ashley McMullen is the market’s new owner. She’s a longtime Lucy’s customer and has known Shields for years. Although she has no prior experience owning a business, McMullen jumped on the opportunity to take over.
“I’ve been working a lot and training a lot, and I feel like I’ve kind of slipped right into it," she said. "I’m still learning a ton, but there hasn’t been anything too crazy that I haven’t been able to tackle.”
McMullen’s background is in massage therapy and spent July and the first week of August training for her new role. She says she’s most looking forward to the change of pace in a new line of work.
“My mind, it works very well trying to solve problems and think on my feet, and I’m kind of more into the fast-paced," McMullen said. "I’m excited to switch from that routine of the massage world into having my brain thinking about all kinds of different things at once. I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can and diving deep into the cheese world.”
McMullen says she plans to make no major changes at Lucy’s Market. The store is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
