By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

A lot of people these days are looking for more economical transportation.

Not Chad and Holly Augustine.

The Augustines are parents of three girls ages 8 to 15.

But that's not the main reason they won't trade in their Ford Expedition for something smaller.

"We haven't found any vehicle with the stability of the (Expedition)," Holly said.

The Augustines don't haul anything all that heavy, but stability definitely is a must for their business.

They own Augustine's Bakery at 1305 Main in Hays, and one of their specialties is baking -- and delivering -- wedding cakes.

Like any family business, there are pluses and minuses of Mom and Dad working in the same place.

"I can leave and go get my kids off in the mornings," Holly said, giving the plus side a tally.

"But we can't take vacation without closing the shop," she added, evening the score at 1-1.

"One of us can get to the girls' activities," Chad said.

"And," Holly said, "they always know where to find us."

With the positives outweighing the negatives, Holly added the system works because both have their separate space.

"We both do baking," she said. "But he's back there, and I'm up here. He does all the baking, and I decorate."

The Augustines started small but grew quickly after opening their shop in December 2004.

Chad was working at another local bakery at the time, and Holly had just started decorating cakes at home in August while still working as a full-time social worker.

They moved fast once they decided to go into business together. In fact, they found their prime location even before the current tenant had moved out.

Now, just four years later, "we've already outgrown the place," Holly said.

But they have no plans of moving.

"We don't want to be off Main (Street)," Holly said. "This is a perfect location."

Besides the usual line of bakery items -- all are baked, none fried, Holly stresses -- the Augustines' line of homemade items include decorated cookies, cakes and cheesecakes. They also serve lunch.

Holly said that while one might think summers would be a laid back time, they aren't.

"Summers used to be a little slower," Holly said. "We're not seeing it."

And she wasn't just talking about the bakery business.

The Augustines are "huge Larks fans."

"Whenever they're playing in town, we're there," Holly said of the local summer-collegiate baseball team.

The Augustines' two oldest daughters, Megan and Becca Herndon, this fall will be students at Hays High School, where both are involved in cheerleading and other school activities.

They practice cheerleading year round, and Megan also has a part-time job. And both help watch their younger sister, Peyton Augustine, who will be a fourth-grader at Roosevelt Elementary School this year.

The Augustine sisters can count on something not all children can.

"Between the two of us, one or the other can be at their activities, and a lot of times both of us can," Holly said. "That's important."