Baking up Business

Ozark resident Stacey Coggin accidently started a cake-decorating business.

As an elementary school teacher, Coggin was a hobby decorator in her spare time, making cakes and cupcakes for students, family and friends. While on maternity leave in 2000, she took a cake decorating class at Michaels art and crafts chain and never looked back.

“I always liked baking and I’d learned some decorating tricks along the way,” she said, recalling her early days in the business. “Then word of mouth took off and the ball really started rolling.”

Leaving teaching eight years ago to become a stay-at-home mom for her two children, Coggin was baking 15 to 20 orders of custom cakes, cupcakes and cookies from her home kitchen each week.  “I knew something had to give,” she said. “I was taking more cake orders than I could handle. I was so busy we considered turning our basement into a commercial kitchen. I needed help and so, we opened a storefront.”

At that moment, Coggin’s hobby became a business – and she’s not alone. With recipes passed down through generations, more Ozarks women are turning their penchant for perfect frosting, deft hand at cake lettering and knack for crafting craveable cookies into thriving for-profit businesses.

Coggin now operates Stacey’s Sweets LLC on the Ozark square, and she said business is booming with 30 to 60 orders grossing about $3,500 weekly.

“When we opened in September 2011, I thought I could handle the orders with just one employee,” she said. “Boy was I wrong. I hired another employee the second day we were open and we are now up to four full-time and five part-time workers.”

Offering a dozen cupcake varieties daily to walk-in traffic off the square and a full calendar of custom cakes scheduled, Coggin said plans are in the works to double the shop’s current retail space.

Looking to add more display space, kitchen room and an area for cupcake-decorating parties, Coggin leased an adjoning office, giving the business at 101 N. 2nd St. 900 square feet total.

Tanya Hanna knows Coggin well. She helped Coggin get her start as instructor of her first cake decorating class. Working at Michaels and Hobby Lobby as an instructor, Hanna said her story is similar to Coggin’s – her favorite hobby turned into a business.

“Michaels employees are allowed to take classes for free, so one day, out of curiosity, I took a cake-decorating class,” she said. “I was pretty good at it, and they asked me to teach a few, so I did.”

Hanna said teaching at Michaels led to a similar job at Hobby Lobby and a home-based business selling cakes to family and friends.

“I became a Wilton method instructor and have taught ladies who have businesses all over the area now,” she said, noting in addition to Coggin, she has taught women at Nancy’s Cakes and Beyond and Julie’s Chewies Gourmet Cookies.  

Hanna started Cake Essentials LLC in March to continue teaching, as well as sell cake decorating and specialty supplies to other area bakers.

Hanna’s classes range from four-week Wilton classes for about $50 to come-and-go sessions with $2 to $5 projects.

While Hanna and Coggin are just starting out, another Ozarks mom and baker is making a name for herself in the market through a line of granola products. Former TV news anchor Christine Daues started Granolove out of her home kitchen in summer 2010 as a way to supplement her family’s income. Today, her four flavors of granola sell at 15 stores around the Ozarks, including Price Cutter, Harter House, MaMa Jean’s Natural Market and the Silver Dollar City gift shop.

“I had no culinary background. I just loved to bake,” Daues said. “I was looking for something healthy for my kids to eat and started making this old family recipe.”

Getting her start at the Farmers Market of the Ozarks, Daues quickly moved from her family kitchen to renting space each morning at Parlor 88.

“When we started taking on grocery contracts, it became too much for me to handle alone,” she said of the business, which grew by 50 percent the first year and has posted 25 percent growth the past two years.

Daues now contracts baking work to Lehi Valley Trading Co. in Mesa, Ariz., noting her original recipe is still used for all Granolove products.

Distributing about 700 pounds of Granolove each month, Daues said 10 percent of all proceeds go to Shriners Hospitals for Children, in honor of her daughter, Jude, who was born with a bone disorder.

“We didn’t turn much of a profit last year, about $10,000, but our biggest goal is to make enough to fund bone development projects,” she said. “It’s hard for women in business. You have a passion for your kids and for your craft. Finding the balance is key.”