This week, we caught up with Emily Noble (or as we know her - The Muffin Top Baker)! After following her and her adorable cookies on Instagram for so long, it was so nice to finally connect with her. Read on to find out what brought her to Glens Falls from her nearby hometown of Cambridge, her favorite spots for special occasions (and for an average Sunday), and hear what’s next for The Muffin Top Baker!
Tell us about yourself!
Hi! My name is Emily Noble, but I'm more commonly known as The Muffin Top Baker! My husband Marcus and I live Glens Falls in the sweetest hundred-and-something-year old house just outside of downtown.
On Life in Glens Falls
I grew up in Cambridge NY and lived there nearly my entire life- it's a small one stop light farm town with a lot of charm and even more heart. Everyone knows everyone! Growing up, my parents taught me and my 6 siblings the importance of working hard, working honestly, and the value of a dollar. They taught us everything: how to prepare, plant, and grow amazing gardens, how high is too high to stack the firewood, how to raise and process our own Thanksgiving turkey, and how to live in a way that if a bad word was ever said about us, no one would truly believe it. We worked hard and played harder! There was always a snowmobile, ATV, or go-cart around that we would fix up and have the time of our lives with...with 6 siblings around there is never a dull moment!
In 2017 my husband and I bought our first home and moved to Glens Falls! My husband grew up in Queensbury and has worked at his family-owned business, Noble Ace Hardware in South Glens Falls, for years so he of course was very familiar with the area and always knew he wanted to come back to it. As we started house hunting, I quickly fell in love with Glens Falls and began to desperately hope we would find the right fit for us here! After 6-8 months of looking at houses, offers getting rejected, and starting to feel defeated, we toured a sweet old house that was walking distance from downtown (jackpot!), in our price range, and the perfect size for us! We put in our offer and it was accepted within 15 minutes...it was the day before my birthday and was hands-down the best present I've ever gotten! We are perfectly situated to be able to walk to Crandall Park for events, walk downtown for dinner and drinks, or just enjoy a nice evening stroll through the neighborhood!
Some Glens Falls Favorites
I love taking advantage of all the local gems (especially food options) around us! Take a Bite during the summer is a winner every time! The Food Truck Corral / Thursday Markets at The Shirt Factory are phenomenal too! I think people forget that The Shirt Factory is open year round, they get distracted by the outdoor events in the summer and think the inside is only open during the holiday season. But it’s not! There are lots of wonderful places open all year round inside. I regularly visit Alchemy Bagel Café and SensibiliTeas! The LARAC Festival and similar events have so many wonderful artists and creators that take part!
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
My perfect Glens Falls day would of course start with food! Some of our favorite places are Juicin' Jar, Kelly's Roots, and Spektor. Usually Sunday is the day I get to have breakfast with Marcus so Spektor is our go-to then. Their whole menu, but especially their breakfast menu, is just amazing! You've gotta try their avocado-lime breakfast sandwich if you've never had it!. I'm a big bookworm so next up would be the library! I always keep my eyes open for their huge book sales and walk away with way too many tote bags of new-to-me books. My husband then gets the honor of helping me get them home! We love to check out local activities on our free days, festivals, the farmers market, walking/hiking trails, new shops and restaurants, tree lightings, you name it! We just love taking part in the community events, and of course there is a never ending list of things to do downtown in the evening! We might grab a bite at Downtown City Tavern or Davidsons on the way to a hockey game or other event at the Cool Insuring Area. If we have a couple friends to catch up with, The Bourbon Room never disappoints for a great experience. Or if its a special occasion we'll switch it up; we have a tradition on our wedding anniversary of a happy hour drink at Fenimore's, an amazing dinner at Morgan & Co, and then sit by the firepits outside of Park 26 for a nightcap and toast to the next year. We definitely don't take the great variety of options for granted!
And as much as we love experiencing what the area has to offer, evenings home are a favorite pastime as well, and I'm a sucker for a good home date! We open a bottle of wine, make a charcuterie board, sit on our porch under the string lights and just talk- the present, future plans and dreams, when we'll finally get a dog- we cover it all!
On the Past
Since I'm still new to the area, I don't have too many memories on the past. But the thing I have the longest connection with is the library. I remember making the 45 minute trek from Cambridge and coming to the Crandall Library with my sisters when we were younger and loading up on new books and movies. I'd always walk in and wonder what it must be like to have this library as your local library, I never guessed that it would one day be my local library! The first Christmas season after we bought our house, we went downtown for the tree lighting outside the library and to take part in all the holiday festivities. I remember watching everything happen around me as snow flurries fell and feeling like the town was in it's own little bubble- or more accurately, its own snow globe. I said to my husband "We just moved to Stars Hollow and I love it!"
On the Future
I'm amazed at the progression that has happened in the area in just the few years I've been here, and excited to see it continue to evolve and grow! I agree with a lot of others and do wish there was some more parking for downtown events, even finding a parking spot at midday on a Friday is a rare thing! I'd love to see a book store come back to the town! I utilize the library often, but love giving books as gifts and it would be so nice to have a local option for that!
By the Way…
I'm so thankful and grateful to everyone who has supported me and my business! If you follow along with The MuffinTop Baker on Facebook or Instagram, you've probably already seen that I just went full-time with the business! It is only possible because of the wonderful people who place custom cookie orders, come to my pop-up events, or pre-order during holidays that I am able to take this leap, and I am so appreciative of every single one of you! Fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners have been so incredibly supportive and encouraging as well, and some of them have become close and dear friends. I have some fun plans in the works for the upcoming year and can't wait to tell you all about them!
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Thanks Emily! Check our more of our My Glens Falls series here.
This week’s My Glens Falls was made possible by The Queensbury Hotel.
A talented local chef that's certainly on the rise, The Queensbury Hotel's Chef de Cuisine, Colin Miner, is being honored at this year's Rising Star Chefs, a part of the 11th annual Wine and Dine for the Arts Festival held from January 16-18. Be sure to drop by Park 26 to enjoy Chef Colin's work! They’re open for breakfast and lunch daily, and dinner from Thursday – Saturday! (And don’t forget to check out our recent GFL posts on Park 26 and Fenimore’s Pub).
Thank you for supporting the businesses that support Glens Falls Living!