FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Daymara Baker, who opened Rockin' Baker Academy in 2015 to serve the neurodivergent adult community in Northwest Arkansas, has announced the bakery's closure coming on June 3, 2023.
More than 50 neurodivergent adults have been trained by Baker in the six years Rockin' Baker has been open.
Baker does not see the closing of the bakery as a negative but as a "chance to celebrate the personal growth of individual trainees and an opportunity for the local community to reassess its commitment to workforce diversity and neuro-inclusivity,"
In a release about the closure, Baker cites "economic realities and fundraising challenge" as a reason for the closing of the bakery.
However, Baker is hopeful that Rockin' Baker Academy leaves its mark in the community if only through showing the contributions neurodivergent adults can bring to their community, shining a light on the "invisible challenges" those with neurodivergent minds face, and the effect that a community's unity has in its success.
Rockin' Bakery Academy will remain open through June 3. Cadets will continue the academy's mission of making NWA better "one loaf at a time" at the bakery's location at 3671 N Mall Ave. Suite 4.
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