Our Story
From a Little Cake Shop to a Tulsa Tradition
In the Beginning, It Was Just Us…
On September 1, 1979, Larry and Bobbie Merritt purchased The Cake Box, a small Tulsa shop specializing in birthday and wedding cakes. The bakery measured only 450-square-feet, with room for one four-foot showcase and no seating.
Business was slow during those first few months, and Larry & Bobbie did nearly everything themselves. They painted, wallpapered, decorated cakes, helped customers, and learned new skills with every product they added.
To supplement the family’s income, Larry began baking cinnamon rolls, brownies, and cookies. The money from those products helped buy groceries while cake sales paid the bakery’s bills.
Learning, Growing, & Finding Our Place
A New Opportunity
In November 1980, Larry and Bobbie purchased Mom’s Daylight Donuts, a larger shop with more space and an established following. They moved their cake business around the corner and began learning how to make donuts. The move also brought Merritt’s its first employees and helped shape the welcoming bakery atmosphere customers would come to know
A New Opportunity
Later in the decade, the family opened a bakery on South Lewis in a former bread shop. The larger kitchen allowed them to expand their menu and acquire equipment that is still used today. The location eventually closed after changes to Lewis Avenue limited access to the shopping center, but the experience helped shape the bakery’s next chapter.
A Permanent Home
On December 1, 1993, Merritt’s opened its current Midtown bakery in a former neighborhood bar. The building required extensive renovations, but it became the spring board for decades of growth.
A Decade of Milestones
Late ‘90s
Rebuilding
We spent much of the rest of the 1990s working incredibly hard and rebuilding ourselves from the inside out, but by the late ‘90s, we were looking to expand.
2001
Master Baker Certification
Larry Merritt earned his Certified Master Baker designation through Retail Bakers of America, becoming CMB #110.
2001
South Tulsa Opens
Merritt’s opened a 7,400-square-foot South Tulsa bakery at 71st and Garnett, bringing our baked goods to more families across Tulsa.
2002
Industry Leadership
Larry became president of the Retail Bakers Association, the first person from Oklahoma to hold the position.
2004
Owasso Location
Merritt’s opened a neighborhood bakery in Owasso. The location helped the family learn and grow in new ways before being closed in 2011.
2007
The Fort Opens
As our bakeries outgrew their kitchens, we opened a central production facility – affectionately called “The Fort.”
A New Home for Production
In late 2007, we moved our production team into a dedicated facility known as “The Fort.” Bringing production together created greater consistency, improved efficiency, and gave our team a better work environment. The Fort remains the heart of Merritt’s today.
Serving Tulsa Today
In 2008, we opened in the Jenks/Riverside area. After years of road construction made the original location hard to access, we moved to 95th & Delaware in 2018. Today, Merritt’s Bakery prodly serves Tulsa from three retail locations.
Midtown
15th & Harvard
South Tulsa/BA
71st & Garnett
Riverside
95th & Delaware
Sharing What We've Learned
Larry and Bobbie were deeply involved in the baking industry for many years. Larry served in leadership roles with both the Retail Bakers Associations (RBA) and the Greater Southwest Retail Bakers Association (GSWRBA), including terms as president of each. Bobbie shared her cake decorating expertise at workshops and conventions across the country, teaching aspiring decorators and bakery owners.
Their commitment to learning, teaching, and supporting independent bakeries became an important part of Merritt’s legacy.
The Story Continues…
Merritt’s Bakery remains a second-generation family business, carrying forward the foundation Larry and Bobbie built more than four decades ago. New products, updated designs, and changing technology may shape how we serve Tulsa, but the purpose remains familiar: to create quality food, care for our customers, support our employees, and make life’s moments a little sweeter.
Still Celebrating Life, One Bite at a Time
What began as one showcase, no employees, and young family willing to learn has grown into a Tulsa tradition spanning generations. We are grateful for every birthday, wedding, holiday, lunch break, and ordinary Tuesday our customers have shared with us – and we look forward to being part of many more.
The Merritt family’s goals for the future include business growth, helping their employees to grow personally & professionally, service to the industry through RPIA, RBA, and GSURBA; and, of course, bringing the best of baking from around the world to Tulsa!