05/01/2023
✨Special Announcement✨
We have sold our Donut Shop (just the donuts, not the cake part, I will continue to do cakes from home!) Our last day to be open will be Wednesday, May 10th. We are having a “Come & Go” Retirement Party on Friday, May 5th from 6-11am (normal business hours). You are invited to stop in & have cake & share special memories you have about the shop. We would love to see you!
This is our story. In January of 1981, Steve & I embarked on the adventure of owning our own business. (I must add, this was not my idea!) 42 1/2 years ago! To give you an inkling of how long ago that was the day we bought our business I remember listening to the radio at our shop. It was the inauguration of 1981. President Carter was leading office and Ronald Reagan was being sworn in-there have been 7 presidents since then. We still only have an am/fm radio there. We have never had a television, a computer or the internet at the shop we have a listened to a lot of news while working with that radio on!
1981 was a difficult time to go into business. The interest rate on a small business loan was 18% (yes, the highest in U.S. history!) We were 22 & 24 years old with 2 very young children. Steve had a college degree with a business major, but with no business experience. He had 1 year experience as manager of a restaurant. It was during that year he decided he wanted to own his own business. 😬 After much prayer & discernment on my part at least we decided to do this! I might add he had no baking experience, except for watching his Italian grandmother bake bread. However, my husband is the hardest working person I have ever known. He has persevered through good & bad even when his health has declined. He is stable, & constant & confident. All the traits a person needs to have to own their own establishment. He has a gift with flour & water, he can turn it into something wonderful that people love. It is a work of art to be able to work with dough. After 42 years I still am not able to make a donut!
There is something special about having a family business, our children literally grew up there. Steve would go into the shop at 3am (still does!) & I would come in at 6am (I still do!) with our children in tow! They occupied themselves with toys & books there was a public library 2 doors down. They did word puzzles & a math sheet every day. 😊I will admit that sometimes we were so busy, I was unaware of what they were up to at the moment. A lady that owned a dress store next to us came in the shop, she was quite exasperated. “Do you know where your children are?” She asked me, “yes they are in the back playing” No, they are not, they are in front of my shop selling rocks!” (Our oldest son has always been an entrepreneur!) Many years later, the same lady gifted Olivia a wedding dress of her choice.
In 1987 we had another baby, Kevin. Our customers & friends were so happy for us! We would bring him in his carrier & everyone loved seeing him! His growth chart from kindergarten through Bishop Kelley is still on the wall in the kitchen.
All 3 of our children worked in our shop from the time they could clean tables, all the way through college. I believe it taught them perseverance, teamwork, & loyalty to a family business that they couldn’t get anywhere else!
In 1994, I was still working at the shop full-time & was offered a part-time job at Asbury church (thank you, Jan!) I worked for many wonderful ministers there & I learned a lot. It helped pay for college, private school and health insurance. We also opened on Sundays at that time. At first, I didn’t want to be open on Sundays, but we met many godly ministers that spoke faith & prayers over us and our business that we would have never met otherwise. One minister introduced our daughter to her husband. (Thank you, Mitch!) Being at Asbury gave me the courage to start my wedding cake business. After leaving Asbury & talking to Steve about adding cakes to our business, being the risk taker that he is-he was all about it! Of course, I had never iced a cake. (Thank you, Lori!) 24 years later, & a thousand + brides, we are very thankful for the cake business & all the sweet brides we have met!
This little shop has been our life. We have had Bible studies, Young Life meetings, baseball/scout meetings & grandchildren’s birthday parties here! Olivia has moved the tables & used the floor for dance tryout season for highschool & college. Kevin played the guitar many nights there while I worked late on wedding cakes. He later spent hours there studying for the LSAT & bar exam. Our son in law, Brad helped us many times while playing football in college & still comes to our rescue when needed at the shop! Our daughter in law Regina, tutors there, Allen comes home & makes all the necessary repairs to the shop, & Rachel our daughter in law, her father was one of our best customers! There are countless stories-I could go on & on. The shop has given us the opportunity to go on yearly ski vacations & beach trips. It has paid for weddings & many fun adventures, all thanks to the patronage of our loyal customers. Some of you all are life-long friends!
There is a a big table of men that sit & drink coffee every morning & have been coming in since 1981. They have rescued me from early morning disasters more times than I can count! It helps that a few of them are fireman!
42 years we have had ups & downs, most years profitable, some perilous! But, looking back each of them precious memories.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank our family, friends & customers, our children & grandchildren & our parents who are now gone & to a very special Aunt Nancy & Uncle Joe, who have given us endless support on this business journey.
There is a time to begin & a time to end. After much prayer & discernment (from Steve & I both this time!) It is our ending. We hope you will support the new owners as you have supported us.
Steve & I both want to thank you for your friendship. A few years ago during Covid (an especially rough time for our business & us) I was writing in my journal at the shop. A thought of faith came to me as I was studying the names of God. I went to the back with a marker & wrote on masking tape. Then I taped it to the top of the door frame as you exit the shop. The words are in Hebrew “Jehovah Jireh” this means , The Lord God Provides! 🥰
