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October 27, 2026
Camelot Bakery in Cleveland's Cudell neighborhood went from overnight shifts in borrowed kitchens to its own Madison Avenue space, with a loan from First Federal Lakewood. Now it's planning to double its staff.
🥨 Cleveland Metroparks and University Hospitals both buy baked goods from a small bakery tucked into the Cudell neighborhood.
Joe and Rebecca Starr started Camelot Bakery in 2008, baking at night in a borrowed restaurant kitchen. Then came three years of overnight shifts in other people's kitchens. In 2015 they moved into their own space on Madison Avenue.
The loan for that space came from First Federal Lakewood, where the Starrs already did their personal banking.
That's how a mutual bank is supposed to work. First Federal Lakewood is owned by the people who deposit there. It has no outside shareholders. So the money in your savings account gets lent out close to home. It becomes a mortgage on your street, or a loan for a bakery you drive past.
Camelot is now planning a 10,000-square-foot facility on the lot next door and expects to double its staff.
Camelot is just one story in the bank's 2025 Community Impact Report. Last year it supported 181 local organizations and put $362,288 back into the community.
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Where is Camelot Bakery?
On Madison Avenue in Cleveland's Cudell neighborhood, where it has had its own space since 2015.
Who owns Camelot Bakery?
Joe and Rebecca Starr, who started the bakery in 2008 baking overnight in borrowed restaurant kitchens.
Is Camelot Bakery expanding?
Yes. Camelot is planning a 10,000-square-foot facility on the lot next door and expects to double its staff.
What is a mutual bank?
A bank owned by its depositors rather than outside shareholders. First Federal Lakewood is a mutual bank, so deposits are lent back out in the local community.
