bake - December 2019 - 10

practical marketing

Fox in the Snow

It all started with a sketch. A simple sketch of a jumping white

fees and starting out with very little funding, they couldn't af-

fox has helped a Columbus, Ohio, bakery make the leap to a

ford to do that, so Fox in the Snow opened with no sign on the

social media and culinary darling.

outside. One of the bakery's regulars offered to paint the logo
on the side of the building as a temporary ﬁx.

Five years ago, the founders of Fox in the Snow had moved to
Columbus from Brooklyn, New York. Following a career change

They had planned on painting over it once they had the money

and after working at several bakeries throughout New York

for the permit fees, but soon discovered that they wouldn't

City, Lauren Culley met her husband Jeff Excell while working

need to go the trouble.

together at Blue Bottle Coffee in Brooklyn. They decided to
open their own bakery in Columbus, as Culley had grown up in

"I was driving by the shop and there were people posing in

Central Ohio.

front of the fox and getting their picture taken. It then became
a thing that people still do to this day. It was a very happy ac-

The two spent a great deal of time deciding what they would

cident. It was one of the only times in my life that being broke

name the bakery. Eventually, they were inspired by one of their

really helped me," Culley says.

favorite bands.
Without intending to, the bakery had become a viral discov"We were getting ready to go to a Belle and Sebastian concert,

ery and a must-visit for that perfect Instagram pic. Although

and as some people do, we were listening to the band before

the buzz has been built organically through customers, Fox

we went to the concert. A song of theirs came on, and the ﬁrst

in the Snow has leveraged that by engaging with its social

line is, 'Fox in the snow, where do you go to ﬁnd something you

media followers. It also helps that the bakery can justify the at-

could eat?' My husband said, almost as a joke, 'Oh, we should

tention with a stellar menu. Scratch-made breakfast sandwich-

just call in Fox in the Snow.' For me, it was lightbulb moment,

es, inventive pastries, and delicious coffee have elevated Fox in

and that was the name," Culley says.

the Snow to one of the top culinary destinations in Columbus
and a rising name in baking in the Midwest.

in the snow. They found a pencil drawing of it on Google Image

Everything works together to build a successful brand. Culley

search and were able to ﬁnd the artist, who resided in Chicago.

shares advice given to her by the founder of Blue Bottle Coffee

They contacted the artist to re-draw it for their logo.

long ago, who told her that "branding is just thinking about
every single detail and how it ﬁts together." Fox in the Snow's

With the business set to open inside of a renovated mason

owners are constantly thinking about how to tie everything in,

garage, the owners wanted to put a sign on the outside of the

from the menu and logo to the music played in the shop and

building to draw in customers. Unfortunately, due to permit

the merchandise offered. B R IA N A MICK

10 < DEC 2019 | bakemag.com

FOX IN THE SNOW

Culley and Excell decided that the logo would be a fox jumping

http://www.bakemag.com

bake - December 2019

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