Kathryn Elder is combining her love of baking and books into Mockingbird Bakery, a new business in Rochester.

Elder attended Le Cordon Bleu Texas Culinary Academy and completed an internship at Colette’s Cakes in New York City, then later worked at a bakery in Chicago before moving to Rochester in 2010. She was then a stay-at-home mom while her children were young, but said, “I always thought Rochester could use a little bakery and café for people to hang out.”

When flower shop Petals & Co. moved across the street and a space opened up in the Silo Center, Elder saw it as a great opportunity. “I’ve been looking for a spot in this area for a long time,” she said. “There’s a lot of parking and other locally owned businesses.”

The new bakery at 129 S. John St. offers custom cakes, cookies, pastries and more. And to pay homage to Elder’s love of books, there is a Little Free Library located within the bakery. “I love to go to thrift stores and get used books,” she said. “I had a bookshelf custom-made to match my counter.”

Mockingbird Bakery opened on May 21. Business hours are 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturdays.

“We hope it will become a destination where people can come and just walk to all the little businesses in this are,” Elder said.