So I'm making the leap and will be starting my business from home come September (woohoo to the Baker's Bill! )... anyway, I've been a hobby baker for a few years now and always bought my stuff at local grocery stores and sometimes Costco for things like butter, sour cream, vanilla, etc. (smaller bulk items). I've been looking at the 50lb sacks of flour, sugar, and powdered sugar and am thinking this:

WHERE am I going to keep all this stuff? lol

First off, do you store your bulk baking ingredients in airtight bins? Have any you recommend?
My pantry is already overflowing and half of it is my baking stuff. A storage closet I have is filled with pans, and now a bunch of boxes i bought in bulk. My hubby is probably rolling his eyes with every purchase, but is wisely keeping his mouth shut, lol.

Also, where are your favorite places to buy in bulk? Not just ingredients, but other cake supplies as well. I found brpboxshop.com for my boxes and cake boards. been quite happy with them so far.

Cambro Containers are really good for large storage solutions. They even have the large storage containers on wheels for 50lb bags of dry ingredients. I would Check out their website for a full product line to find what you want and then shop around to find the best price. HTH

I wondered about bulk cake mixes. Anyone know where to buy them?

If you have a container store near you, they have dog food containers that can hold a 50 lb bag of flour. They are air and water tight, so they are great for things like flour and sugar in bulk.

Restaurant supply stores will typically carry a variety of bulk containers, as well as bulk ingredients. There should be several of these stores in Houston.

I like wesellcoffee.com They have tons of restaurant supplies, including cakes boxes.

You are going to want to look at your law to see if there are any specific requirements you'll have to meet. You may HAVE to store in NSF (food safe) containers. You may not be able to store in the bag once it's open. Like other posters, check for a restaurant supply company. I have Restaurant Depot and Cash n Carry which offer pretty competitive prices. I like the Cambro containers because they can stack on top of eachother. I have the same issues with all this stuff taking over my house! I've convinced myself that my stainless steel table looks great in my kitchen......

ACE Mart Restaurant Supply is on the Gulf Freeway (sb) between downtown and the Almeda area...thereabouts.

I have a 1000 sf basment that had nothing in it. So I bought a couple selving units from Lowes and that is where I store my pans, tubs of fondant and gumpaste, gel colors, agbay, boxes, boards, cake drums, bubble tea straws, styrofoam for cake dummies I deperately need to get done, 50 lbs or shortening, boxes of 7 lb bags of powder sugar...

25 lb bags of flour and sugar I keep upstairs in my laundry room (it is quite large).

Are there any places in the Houston area that do not require tax id? I've heard conflicting info about Bakemark...

I'm looking more for a cash-and-carry type thing. I'm really wanting to get hi ratio shortening wholesale. It's way too expensive to buy from cake shops :-/

I purchase my large size items from a bakery supply business in my area and Sam's club. I am lucky to have a bakery wholesale supplier. I purchase everything in 50 lbs. Flour,sugar,hi ratio shortning.
To store these Items. I use a bin for wrapping paper. Rubbermaid makes them. They have a high lid on them and a top closing flap that can hold a scoop. They hold a 50lb bag of flour and sugar so neatly. It slides under my counter in my kitchen. My Health department lady loved the Idea. I leave the flour in the bag to roll down when not in use. keeps it a little cleaner.

Does anyone know of a reasonable wholesale supplier located in Ohio, KY, IN, or TN?

I purchase my high ratio shortening from my local GFS in a 50 lb block. The shortening is at the store the following day from my ordering it. Plus, I don't have to pay shipping since I pick it up at the store (which is on my way home from work).