Why are there so few bakeries?

My first job, in high school, was working the counter at our local, small-town bakery.  I started there when I was 14 and continued working their through three owners over a four year period.  After working the counter for a year, I was given the added responsibility of slicing bread, in the morning.  After two years, I moved on to frying and decorating the doughnuts.

I have always loved baking.  I find myself thinking, often, about why there are no small town bakeries, anymore.  There are neighborhood bakeries in Minneapolis and chain bakeries as you move out to the suburbs.  But, the small town bakery is no longer around.  I don't know about everyone else, but I crave home-made breads, rolls, cakes, and pies.

With this in mind, I have started out with a new goal.  Because I don't have enough to focus on in life, I am going to start perfecting my baking.  I will take some cake decorating classes, which I will be happy to document here.  I will work on my bread recipes.  I will practice my candies and pies.  My goal, to start with, is to have a booth at the local Albertville farmer's market, in the summer.  If I get this figured out and perfect my cake decorating, I can move on to my larger goal of baking cakes to order.  The pipe dream is to some day open a bakery and do this for a living.  I don't know if that is a real possibility.   But, it is nice to dream.