Vancouver Ghost Stories: Simply Sweets

I have a confession to make. When I was planning my fourth installment of Vancouver Ghost Stories, I had a completely different haunting in mind than the one I am writing about this week. I am not proud of it, but I changed my mind because I was craving a cookie. I will explain. The majority of my research for this series has been Pat Jollota’s fun book Haunted Vancouver, Washington which details reports of ghosts within our fair burg and provides possible identities of said spirits based on historical research. Many of the stories involve either buildings that are no longer in existence, like this or this, buildings that are not open to the public or private residences. The one that caught my eye this week involves a bakery.

The building at the northwest corner of Columbia and 31st, built in the 1930s, originally served as a grocery store operated by Lucius and Celia Bagley, who also lived on the premises. After her husband’s death in 1944, Celia remained in the house until the end of her life. Maybe it is her restless spirit that still occupies the walls. In its various incarnations as a pie shop, coffee shop, tavern and bakery, strange goings on have been reported. A gray-haired woman in a black dress and white apron has been seen throughout the house, odd sounds have occurred and objects have occasionally been thrown by an unseen hand. It is even said that the ghost is not fond of men. I had to investigate further.

Simply Sweets is a bakery that has occupied the building since early 2020. Although I had eaten their pastries before, it was my first visit inside the building. Following my thorough seconds-long investigation, I can confidently report that no man-hating crone was observed and no objects were hurled at my person. I do admit, however, that I may have been a bit too preoccupied with their offerings in the case to detect any supernatural activity. I asked the friendly young lady at the counter if she had experienced any ghostly encounters, and she told me she had not but that she had heard stories. Apparently a biker ghost also inhabits the place. Yikes! While I did not experience any haunting during my visit, I did get a delicious ginger cookie.

References:

  • Jollota, Pat. Haunted Vancouver, Washington. E-book edition, 2020.

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