Baking Dreams Come True at the Purple Wagon

Elyse Fife

"It makes me feel good that people support me that well. To be supported so fully by so many people that I don't even know [is great]," stated Elyse Fife, owner and operator of The Purple Wagon, located at 1455 Accommodation Road in Wilmington. She opened her wagon in May of 2024 and has been providing sourdoughs and other baked goods to the community since. She currently bakes sourdough breads, bagels, cookies, cinnamon logs, and pies. This summer, she hopes to sell and preserve produce from her garden that includes cherries, strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, peas, corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, potatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, and pollinator flowers. In addition to her garden, she also raises 12 chickens.

Elyse has lived in Wilmington since she was seven years old. She met her husband while working at Generation's Pizza. Elyse stated, "I just was in the back cleaning... and I looked up and he was sitting at the bar and the first thought that went through my head was, 'I'm going to marry that guy.'" Five years later, they got married and eventually had two daughters. They currently live on a five acre homestead where Elyse gardens, bakes, and homeschools their two daughters.

Prior to The Purple Wagon, Elyse worked at a manufacturing company as the HR manager. Upon having to enforce mass lay offs during the pandemic, Elyse decided to switch careers and choose something that would allow her to be home with her children. That led her to a short career as a real estate agent that was successful for her first two years; however, after bringing in no income for a year, Elyse felt God was leading her in a different direction that forced her to grow and look for other opportunities to stay home with her children. Besides her love for people and baking, this inspired her to start The Purple Wagon, named after her favorite color. When she stocked her wagon for the first time, she sold out completely. Elyse stated, "It was a passing thought in my head and now it's a reality."

Listen to Elyse's full story on Episode 72 of The Real Change Podcast. Learn more about The Purple Wagon by following Elyse Fife on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.