YAY!!!! Your shopi s adorable! The fact your business is jumping by leaps and bounds shows how wonderful and dedicated person you are.
I'd love to dothe same but now just isn't our time to sink more money into another business, my hubby owns his own remolding and repair painting business so we're swamped with his business for now.
So I am vicariously living through your bakery!!!!
I'd love to come see it one weekend, where exactly in IL are you?

Congratulations to you as you start your new and exciting endeavor. You are going to do Fantastic. I am not a shop owner as yet, but please keep us posted.

WOW. I think we are all sooooo happy for you.
And living through you now. LOL
When you have time definitly post some pics.
cant wait to see them.......

I've added my website to my profile, if you go to my site, the store address is on the home page, along with my store hours. I don't want to type out my address here in the forums, for phishing protection, but you can get it through my website. If you stop in, please let me know that you're a CC'er!

momsandraven, I'll be visiting friends in Sandwich, Illinois in the fall of 08 and I'm going to try and get up there to see your shop. I'm sure happy for you. I wish you all the best!

I'd sure love to pics of your finished place!

So, for the people who are not able to see your shop... how about some more pics so we can live through you still !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It sounds like you are very busy... but a happy busy.
congrats again!

Glad your shop has turned into a success! Hopefully soon you will find your "groove" and be able to rest!

Hi everyone!

Well, I finally got a little time to photoshop a few pics of my kitchen (before I got it all messy! LOL) to post for your viewing pleasure. Alexandria, who is my assistant, and I have named the oven "Lucy" and the 10 qt mixer is "Ethel". (Perhaps we had inhaled a little too much powdered sugar that day...)

I thought I'd add in here that the whole kitchen space is 15'x19', or about 285 square feet, for anyone who's interested in knowing that. It's a little tight in there, but I think it's laid out pretty efficiently so it all works out.

CarolAnn, I'm so excited to know that you'll be coming for a visit! Sandwich is such a nice community, I have been there a few times and always enjoyed it. Are you sure it won't be until fall '08? That's so far away!

edited 1 time to add kitchen dimensions

Here are a few more pics. The first one is a door knob that I found at an antique mall that was going out of business. I thought it would be neat to put on my office door to add a little character to the space and keep it 'true' to the building.

The next one is of the front counter of the store. I ended up turning my deli case around so it is more like a self-serve cooler. I'd like to get a slightly smaller cooler that is actually built to be a self-serve so it will take less floor space, but until then, this works just fine! The sign behind the counter lists my cookie flavors, prices, and the cake-by-the-slice flavors of the week.

The last pic is one of my tables for customers who choose to sit and eat their treats. I also use the seating for bridal consultations (I have 2 tables and 4 chairs that I can push together if I need to.) I still need to do some major decorating on the walls, but, happily, I've been too busy baking to worry about it!

The tables match my antique display cases perfectly, even though they are brand new! The chairs are antiques. The sign over my office door is so cool. I found it at one of those 'over stock type' stores. It says "Celebrate family, friends, and traditions". How perfect!

Oh I really like the new way you have the counters! That does look better than the other way (even tho' I liked the other way, too!).

Luv to see and read these updates! You are a great inspiration to many on here!

Maybe this has been asked and anawered but since you have people eating in the store did you have to provide a restroom for customer use??? You are living my dream and I wish you all the best and much success!!

Thanks indydebi! I like it a LOT better this way too. Now I'm thinking about adding a baker's rack in the front somewhere too, to merchandise non-food cake related items, like cake servers, birthday cake candles, greeting cards, etc. It will be nice to have some stuff to sell that I don't have to produce myself! ha ha!

Christeena, in my area, you do not have to provide restrooms if you have seating for less than 10 (or is it 15, I'm not sure) people. I do actually have public restrooms, in a shared hallway between my store and my 2 neighbor stores. The 3 of us share maintenance of the restrooms, which is really nice (I only have to clean the toilets & mop the bathroom floors on every third week).

I am soooooo inspired by you! Congratulations! You're shop is absolutely adoreable! May God Bless you with a booming business! Have a wonderful weekend!

Oh gee, please excuse me while I wipe the envious drool off my pants! This is set up exactly as I would want and is just wonderful. Heartfelt congratulations to you and I hope your shop is both fun and profitable.

Congrats! Your shop is beautiful

Beautiful shop!!!

Oh GEE, I am soo behind on this and here are your finished pics!! I am so thrilled for you!! Your shop looks wonderful! I didn't realize you were going to provide seating too, AND cake by the slice! I'd be hangin out there if you were in my area. There's a coffee house here but the cake slices they have in their case aren't anything too tasty looking. There's actually a tea room and a tea shop opening here in about about a month so we'll see what they have to offer.

No, I won't be coming up there until next Fall since I'm way down here in Kansas. But I'm sure going to plan and get up there then. Have you posted pics of the exterior of your shop? I'd love to see it from the outside, all finished.