Times Union Women@Work: November 2020
From the cover: Puzzles’ owner sees new future for Schenectady bakery
Sara Mae Pratt is a responsible adult. When she takes on responsibility, it’s not by default or out of fear of what might happen if she doesn’t step up. Her consistent ability to follow through comes from a genuine care, for people, mostly.
People who she can advocate for, support or simply serve coffee or lunch. People like her sister, Emily, the inspiration behind Pratt’s downtown Schenectady-based bakery and cafe, Puzzles, which would’ve celebrated five years of business in April.
Instead of spending the April 2 anniversary (which purposely falls on World Autism Awareness Day) gathering her cheerful, energetic employees with autism and other disabilities together for a celebration, Pratt and the Puzzles staff were all home, staying safe and isolated during the government mandated shutdown to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Given the population we serve and the individuals working with us, we needed to be particularly sensitive,” said Pratt, who closed the cafe at the end of March. “We didn’t want to take any chances.”
While the cafe could have stayed open for takeout and delivery, the smartest decision for her staff and the business was to ‘hibernate’ until it’d be deemed safe to return for all. Nearly eight months later, the once-bustling breakfast and lunch spot for downtown Schenectady’s office crowd is still in hibernation.
“We provide meaningful employment and a paycheck, but there is a huge social piece,” said Pratt. “Our staff with disabilities experience a sense of normalcy with friends, coworkers and something to be a part of.”
Closing the business made things easier financially, but Pratt still grieves the temporary loss of the community inside the cafe. She often reminds herself of some of the highlights from the past five years, including the routine friendly interactions with customers, national news appearances and an opportunity to deliver Puzzles’ signature cookies to the general assembly of the United Nations in New York City — twice.
Former staff stay connected through group texts and social media, though there’s really no replacement for what the cafe could provide.
“No matter how much or how little we communicate [with the staff], there is always an element of social isolation and loneliness, especially for those with special needs.”
In the absence of good company, Pratt has kept the sweet smells of the bakery circulating through the State Street storefront, and forged a way to activate her skills as an entrepreneur and mentor.
“I’m excited to say we’ve converted our commercial kitchen into an incubator for startups,” said Pratt. “Two female-owned baking businesses are baking here, and I’m able to consult with them and lend know-ledge, expertise and physical space.”
Pratt knows what it feels like to learn how to build a business, from initial ideation to filing paperwork and framing out the legal structure. It’s a process that takes time, strategy and support.
Just before the pandemic hit, Pratt paid off the remainder of the $75,000 in business loans she took out to get Puzzles up and running. She was about to begin a new phase of the small business journey — and now, it’s time for her to use those experiences to make someone else’s startup journey easier.
“People aren’t going into business because they have a passion for forming an LLC or hiring employees, they’re going into it because of a desire to create something,” said Pratt. “This new project has given me a lot of purpose; I’m excited to have something going on in this weird, in-between time where I can help.”
Welcoming new startups into Puzzles’ commercial kitchen has given Pratt a chance to focus on her full-time job: being a mom. Since Pratt last caught up with Women@Work in 2015, she’s become a homeowner, gotten married and welcomed her now two-year-old son into the world.
“Motherhood is the greatest gift,” said Pratt. “It’s the biggest challenge but the most important work I do in my life.”
As if she needed any more motivation to do good in the world, being a mom plays well with her interests and strengths to act as an advocate for those living with autism like her sister, Emily, who is doing well and living in a group home.
Pratt serves on the Schenectady County Legislature as the Chair of Workforce Development, and is a member of the Autism Spectrum Advisory Board for the New York State Assembly.
“I have this wonderful little person in my life now,” she said of her son. “We have to move forward for the future — for the next generation.”