The Stock Market Crash of 1929 marked the beginning of the Great Depression. To make ends meet, Magdaline Rhodes, an Atlanta native, began selling baked goods out of her home. Even though times were hard, she insisted on using only the finest ingredients.

Mrs. Rhodes’ sweets became an instant success! By 1934, demand for her cakes and cookies had outgrown her small kitchen. With the help of her son, George Rhodes, Jr., the family opened a store on Piedmont Road. In 1953, Rhodes Bakery moved to a new facility on Cheshire Bridge Road, making it the first free-standing bakery in the Southeast. During the bakery’s grand opening, Magdaline Rhodes gave an African Violet, a flower that she loved and grew at home, to every customer who visited the new location. The Cheshire Bridge Road location remains today. The bakery opened its second location in Roswell in 1997.

Rhodes Bakery remains a family tradition. George Rhodes III, Tommy Rhodes, and George Rhodes IV continue baking Mrs. Rhodes’ original recipes. The family bakes goods daily, using the same wholesome ingredients and the same unique recipes started back in 1929. Although these practices are more costly than using preservatives and generic ingredient substitutes, they represent the bakery’s continuing commitment to provide customers with the highest quality baked goods available.

The Rhodes family prides itself on creating delicious, high quality baked goods that generations of Atlanta families have come to cherish. Magdaline Rhodes would be proud of the tradition of excellence still alive at Rhodes Bakery today.