TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Unsure of what to get Mom this year? How about replacing all those well-worn baking pans?

Doughmakers Gourmet Bakeware is having a spring sale with everything in stock up to 50 percent off at its warehouse in Terre Haute, Ind., on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“Most of those who know our bakeware know about our (annual) sale,” said Debbie Cuvelier of Doughmakers. “We have grocery carts which they literally load up with gifts for all year and their own baking.”

The sale is timed for last-minute shoppers who need a gift for Mother’s Day or for a spring wedding. Packaged gift crates with assorted bakeware are available for these special occasions.

Doughmakers, originating from a fund-raising idea for the Cub Scouts, has cooked up a nationwide business out of aluminum baking sheets, cake pans, muffin pans, and the like.

Patented twice, their unique pebble pattern allows for more even browning and easier release, Cuvelier said. “It isn’t the type of pan you have to replace,” she said. “Unlike steel-coated or Teflon pans which scratch, they never rust.”

The pans have a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and a lifetime guarantee against warping and buckling.

“We have great customers. Once they try our products, they are pretty much sold on them, and they come back to complete their kitchens,” Cuvelier said.

Cuvelier said they typically have about 3,000 shoppers who come from Indianapolis, central Illinois and the surrounding area for the spring event. The Christmas sale generally brings in 5,000-7,000 people.

Various items for sale include cookie sheets of all sizes, cake pans with straight sides for a professional look and handles for easy access, pie pans with crust protectors, and gift crates with assorted bakeware.

Doughmakers has been a primary sponsor of the Farm World Expo’s Country Living Stage for the past three years.

This year’s Expo will be Aug. 1-3 at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds in Terre Haute, Ind.

The company has stocked up on cooking accessories, which are at least 20 percent off for the spring sale. Free fresh-baked cookies, coffee and lemonade will be offered. Specialty coffees and decorations will also be available for sale.

Doughmakers Gourmet Bakeware is sold nationwide in 1,600 specialty shops and in the J.C. Penney catalogue. However, the spring sale is limited to their warehouse location, which is not usually open to the public, Cuvelier said.

Bette LaPlante and her sister, Diane Cuvelier, began making aluminum cookie sheets in LaPlante’s garage as a fund-raiser for their sons’ Cub Scout troop. When 3,000 sheets sold, they decided to start their own company.

Now, the company, whose bakeware has been featured in the Boston Globe and gourmet magazines and endorsed by several baking manufacturers, has expanded to employ 30 workers.

The Doughmakers warehouse is located at 1650 E. Industrial Drive, Terre Haute, Ind., just off U.S. Highway 41 and six miles south of I-70, Exit 7. For more details, visit www.doughmakers.com or call 812-299-8750.

This farm news was published in the May 10, 2006 issue of Farm World.