There is a country song that keeps ringing in my head. The words go something like this…..you wake up and everything has changed! Well, that seems to be my life. Many big things have happened since I moved the business back to Yorktown. Google has decided to publish that CakeAlicious is permanently closed!!!! Not even sure how to fight them on this. I have re-opened the business once and it was accepted. However, it came to my attention again that google says I am permanently closed. I tried to change it and was not allowed! My goodness, who is this google giant? Anyway, I just wanted to write to help put the rumors to rest. I am still in business, I just don’t have retail hours. Consultations and cakes are accepted by appointment and special order only. So, go ahead and give me a call at 757-234-4300 to place your order! Or better yet, send me an email at alice@cakealiciousdesignstudio.com with your details! That way I can review your details either early in the morning or late in the evening when you may be sleeping (and I am not working on cakes). You might not appreciate me calling you when I am available and don’t have my hands wrapped up whipping up something sweet! Hope to bake for you soon!
Well, clearly this didn't lead where I thought it would!
It is Christmas Eve, 2017 and I logged onto my website to make some changes as a result of my move from Williamsburg back to Yorktown. It was only then I realized that I had started a blog! Wow, what can I say? That just makes me realize how much of my life was actually consumed with running a retail store! Maybe I can get things going again! I thought I would start by reposting my thoughts shared on Facebook on December 9, 2017.....the day of my move!
Original facebook post from December 9, 2017 11:56 pm
Today has been very surreal for me. On December 9, 2013 CakeAlicious began a new venture in Williamsburg. We moved everything we had into our new building in New Town. It has been a wild ride...........so many great memories as well as some very big challenges. I learned how to be a barista and make a mean latte (which I never even thought about before the move!), I learned about making gelato from Italian instructors, we were found by Food Network who invited us to compete on Cake Wars and were very blessed with a win, we made some great friendships with some very loyal customers, we learned that prayers are answered in God's timing and not ours, we cried...a lot when people's expectations were greater than our offerings, we suffered through that thing called staffing (still reeling from that one, lol!) and made a lot of cakes! I am grateful to everyone who supported us since we made the move. It is with mixed emotions that I officially announce that we are moving CakeAlicious back to Yorktown. I started my business there just 1 month shy of 15 years ago. I still live there and while business has been great in Williamsburg, I feel like I am moving home. This will allow me to spend more time with my family (including my beautiful new granddaughter who will be 4 months old in 6 days) instead of burning up the trail called Jefferson Avenue. This morning, on the 4th anniversary of our Williamsburg opening, I rented an F650 26' UHaul Truck and set sail to pack up the things that wouldn't fit in the back of my Cake Truck. I have never driven anything that large in my life!!! A little intimidating, but I stared it in the face and said, "Let's Go". As I was driving down Jefferson Avenue, the radio was playing and I heard Garth Brooks singing "I Will Sail My Vessel" and felt the presence of angels protecting me for the drive. You see, I didn't plan the date of the move. Yesterday, I knew that the rest of my equipment would need a bigger truck, so I started looking for one. When I was doing the paperwork this morning, I realized what God had done with the date. And then, the snow started falling...it was beautiful. We moved in the rain and the snow and it was very cathartic. We are in the process of setting up a small showroom at 101 York Crossing. We have not set hours yet...still in the process of working out all the logistics. However, we are already making appointments for consultations at that location. At this time, we will not have retail merchandise for sale, only special orders. As we transition, you can still place orders with us by email or phone. Announcements will be made as we get a better idea of what our hours will look like. Thank you for your business and we look forward to this next chapter.
My first blog post ever!
I am not totally sure where this will lead, but I wanted to start sharing my life as a cake artist. Some of you may make cakes at home, some of you may be professional cake artists as well and some of you may be addicted to Pinterest and never even have the slightest desire to recreate any of those cakes! In any event, I hope what I share with you is actually helpful to you in some way.
I love what I do and even after being in business for almost 13 years, it is still fun (when I actually get to that part of my business). I, like many people, started out as a mom who wanted to make creative cakes for my children when they were young (not telling you how old they are...cuz a lady never tells her age and you may be able to guess based on their ages!). I never knew that there was an artist who lived inside of this housewife. I had always had office jobs working 9 til 5. I thought that was my niche, but being indoors with a typewriter (yep, not a typo) and a copier and a boss (some of whom said I wasn't allowed to laugh because "We are professionals here!") seemed like a prison somehow. In addition to making cakes, I loved to sew and do needlework and home decorating. It was all fun to me. So, what made me decide to bake cakes as my career? In all honesty, it may have been the fact that I was told I would never be successful doing it. You know, we all have a little bit of a rebel inside of us. Negativity has always seemed to make me more determined to make things work. Don't limit me! People actually have the right to be happy at their job, don't they? I think so!
It was so hard in the beginning that I actually packed up everything related to making cakes and advertised it for sale. Sold everything to one lady and never looked back. But there was always that huge tug at my heart to create and be my own boss. I had to squash the dream for more than 20 years before it became so strong that I had to pursue it. After all, I owed it to myself to see if I could make a living getting battered and frosted. Having a retail store was never part of the dream because that would assume that I thought I could be successful...having been told I wouldn't be any good at it was always louder than any slight possibility that it would actually work! I learned along the way that you have to be strong and determined and a little deaf (who am I kidding......a lot deaf!!!) to the negative nellies you meet along the way. You also have to listen to the still small voices from heaven that lead you where your heart wants to go. They need to be louder than your fear. Fear is paralyzing...fear and faith cannot co-exist. At least that's what I have found to be true. Don't get me wrong...there are days when the negativity is blasting in my ears and just reverberates in my head. Things like...what are you thinking? Those people were so right, you should have just quit and gotten a "real" job. People, let me tell you, making cakes is a real job and is not for wimps. Cake decorators put in long, hard hours...sometimes working through the night just to make sure all the orders are completed on time and as expected (or better, yes, that's allowed). But, let me tell you that it has all been worth it. Never in a million years did I have the nerve to allow myself to think that I would go from being a hobbyist several decades ago to actually participating on Food Network's Cake Wars! As if that weren't amazing enough, imagine my awe of God's blessings when He allowed me to actually win on August 8th of this year. He has played a huge role in my career and has been the best business manager! In reality, had I not had Him on my side, I would have never overcome all of the adversities that have been thrown in my path. This keeps resounding in my head...If God brings you to it, He will get you through it! It has certainly proven true in my life. Happy caking...until next time!