FISHERSVILLE -- Walking into the new Knead More Bakery, customers will find an old-fashioned stove and an antique display case filled with goodies.

Aside from the stove in a corner, there's not much furniture yet -- something the owners hope to remedy -- but the large white poster board up front proclaims the heart of the little store's goals:

"The mission of Knead More is to serve the needs of persons who have disabilities through employment and training. Knead More will promote the integration of persons who have mental and physical disabilities into society by helping them to become independent and evolve into contributing members of society," the statement reads in part.

The man behind the idea, Robert "Bobby" Vandevender, knows a little something about what it's like to fight to overcome physical disabilities.

Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis several years ago, Vandevender has very little control over his limbs, though he is able to move about on his own with the aid of a motorized wheelchair. His vision is for the bakery to become a thriving business where people with all kinds of disabilities can find work.

"I just hope to make life easier/better" for the disabled, Vandevender said.

"It might give other people the idea they can do something, too," he said. "A lot of doors have been closed [for me], but a lot of doors have been opened. I've got to give back to some [who have] done so much for me."

After two years of research on various business models, Vandevender was able to see the bakery open last fall.

Though he's not able to run the operation himself, his two friends, Sandy Reese and Sharon Hyden, decided to take Vandevender's idea and make it a reality. Both women met Vandevender while working at the Fishersville nursing home where he lives.

Reese said she's enjoyed her years working with the disabled community, and she hopes the bakery will be of help to local residents.

"I hope we can benefit them and help them along their way," Reese said.

First, however, they need to increase the business. Though a steady trickle of customers now stop at Knead More Bakery each day, traffic will have to pick up to provide enough work to add employment and training opportunities.

Future plans include possibly adding a seating area to the store. By autumn, the owners said they hope the bakery will be a busy place with ready work for those who need it.

Vandevender and his friends studied both nonprofit and for-profit models when developing their business plan. They visited two other nonprofit bakeries with a similar mission, but ultimately chose to open as a for-profit store in the hopes of fast-tracking the process, they said.

Central to the store's purpose remains the hope of providing a place of training and employment to people with disabilities.

"I hope maybe it'll give other people with disabilities encouragement for them to do more," Vandevender said. "I don't have my legs and hands, but I've got my mind. If you've got your mind, you can do it."

Garth Larcen, founder and owner of The Positive Vibe Café in South Richmond, was encouraged to learn about Vandevender and his idea for the Knead More Bakery.

""I'm always glad to hear about people interested in offering more opportunities with people with disabilities," Larcen said. "I think it's great news what they are doing."

Larcen opened the nonprofit training restaurant in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center in January 2005 to ensure job opportunities for his son Max, who has muscular dystrophy.

Since then, more than 180 people with cognitive or physical disabilities have graduated from the restaurant's training program. About 40 percent of them have found jobs, Larcen said.

Some of them work at The Positive Vibe Café. Of the 25 paid employees at the restaurant, 16 either have a disability, he said.

Cindy Roberts, a vocational employment counselor with the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services in Fishersville, said that while many local employers seek out her clients, she's always looking for more potential good matches between businesses and people with disabilities.

For those unaccustomed to working with the disabled, however, Roberts said she offers educational programs that stress the wide range of ability levels of her clients.

"How I present it to employers is not necessarily what they can't do, not what their disability is, but what their abilities are," Roberts said. "I focus on why we think they would be a qualified candidate for the job. If I'm going to call that employer, this person is going to be capable of going in and doing a really, really good job."

For Knead More Bakery, the inspiration for building Vandevender's vision around a bakery grew out of his fond memories of growing up in Highland County.

"It's something I always wanted to do. I wanted mom to do it," Vandevender said. "She was a wonderful baker."

"It's the recipes of old that you can't go to the store and buy," Vandevender said.
Deputy Business Editor Gregory J. Gilligan contributed to this report.