The Scone Pony Survives a Rough Ride

How the Scone Pony continues to remain a popular Spring Lake, N.J., attraction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the health restrictions and closures brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, small business everywhere struggled, and some are just beginning to find their footing again.

The long lines are back once again at The Scone Pony, a popular Spring Lake, New Jersey, bakery. But owners Laurie and Walter Bracero say it’s been a challenging year.

A line wrapping outside of the Scone Pony.

The quaint shop has sat at the edge of the small town since it opened its doors in 2006, and its known to host crowds extending outside the building’s doors and down the street.

The Braceros took over the business in 2017, and just three years later, the couple faced the COVID-19 pandemic. They were forced to take a step back and assess their newly owned business and adapt to the constantly changing circumstances.

Walter Bracero talks about the sweet treats, his history with the Scone Pony and how the store made it through the pandemic.

“We had to close just after Easter for one week to reassess the process,” Walter Bracero said. “It is all about what process you have in place. You assess the situation, and then you just adapt.”

That is exactly what they did.

The Scone Pony changed its hours and decreased the number of days it was open to just three days a week.

Customer of the Scone Pony checking out inside the bakery.

“We had the option of going on unemployment, but that wasn’t an option as far as our work ethic is concerned,” Walter Bracero said. “If we can survive, we’ll survive with less.”

The Scone Pony workers came back early, and the business got through the worst of it.

“We have done pretty well through the entire year of 2020 and also in 2021,” Walter Bracero said. “Due to the process in our adaptation to the situation, we were eventually back up to full production.”

A few of the popular baked goods from the bakery The Scone Pony. (Left upper is a pecan sticky roll, left below is a cinnamon roll, right upper is a peanut butter cookie, and right below is a chocolate chip cookie.)

While the bakery has the word scone in its name, it offers much more. The sweet treats include scones — of course — but also cookies, muffins and any other baked good you can think of. The variety is what drives its customers.

The Braceros have kept the recipes intact from the original owners, embracing the tradition of the delicious goods.

The Scone Pony remains a favorite spot. Long lines are as much of a tradition as their scones and one-of-a-kind goodies that people crave, even throughout a pandemic.