Conversations with Hannah Grinage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Grinage. 

Hi Hannah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Funnily enough, I was never any good at baking as a kid. But when it came time to have a cake at my wedding in 2007, I decided that I wanted to make it myself and wound up finding something I love to do. Since then, my bakery has had three homes. All Cakes, All Occasions started in 2008 in a small brick home turned-commercial building in Traverse City. With occasional help, I made cupcakes for daily customers and focused most of my attention on custom cakes and wedding cakes. The next step was moving home, a decision made while pregnant with my second child. My husband built a licenced commercial kitchen at our home in Suttons Bay and the business shifted to mostly wedding cakes and custom cakes with no daily operations. 

In 2018 we had an opportunity to move into Lake Leelanau, just 10 minutes from our old home. This move brought with it the small farm we had dreamed of lots of land, and a small old farmhouse, and no room for cake decorating. But just a year after moving I heard that a small retail space was available for rent less than a mile from our farm. I toured the space that day, and we were signing a new lease within the week. The new location came with a new name, Hannah’s. I didn’t want to be limited to only cakes as I grew the business in Lake Leelanau. That last move was almost 3 years ago. 

Life has always led me back to baking. The part I enjoy the most is the creativity and artistry of tackling a new design for a complicated cake. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Raising a family while starting a business is not the easy road for sure. But the toughest hurdle I faced came just 3 weeks after opening Hannah’s in Lake Leelanau. Covid began and within a week I had temporarily shut down the business with the Stay-at-Home order. Once it lifted my staff and I learned our new favorite word – PIVOT. First masks, then divider walls, then no entry for customers at all. I tried pre-orders, drive-up orders, and every other idea to keep the sales while staying safe. I credit my business still being open to my awesome community. The locals did all they could for all our local businesses during that time, mine included. And I am so thankful. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I hope I am most known for my willingness to try something new. We offer custom cakes, and by custom…I mean custom. I love customers who start the conversation with, “I am sure no one has ever asked you to make a cake like this.” I know it will be a fun cake that will require thinking outside the box. That is what keeps every day interesting. I also dove into making macarons last spring because I wanted to try it, master it, and share it. They have been a huge success at the bakery and have allowed me to offer a wheat-free option for my customers. At my shop we make everything from scratch, and we use local ingredients whenever possible. I love to collaborate with other local businesses to make something sweet. Over the years I have worked with multiple wineries to make everything from chocolates infused with wine to signature champagne macarons. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I think of it more as timing than luck. I have had “bad timing” a handful of times throughout the past 15 years of business. But what I have learned is to do it anyway. If you keep waiting for luck, or the perfect time, or everything to be “right” you will never take the next step. Could I have timed it better? Absolutely! 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hannahs.shop
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahs.lake.leelanau/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HannahsLakeLeelanau