Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Knox.
Hi Mark, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My wife Charlita and I own Crummy’s Cake Supply & Studio. She is a certified pastry chef from Schoolcraft college and I have my bachelor’s in business from Baker college. In late 2018 both of us were working at banks and decided to pursue our dream of opening a bakery in Detroit. We officially gained our LLC in early 2019 first began by doing multiple pop-ups around the city. In 2019 alone we had to do over 30 pop-ups and eventually gained the attention of various small business programs around Detroit. We worked with Tech Town, MotorCity Match, Build Institute, Foodlab Detroit, and PropsperUs Detroit and eventually was awarded a 6 month pop up lease with a potential building lease after the pop-up was finished. But in March 2020 the nation shut down and we forced to return to once again become a home bakery. But with everyone being at home with their families for 2020 many people celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions in the house instead of going out, and because of this our business took off. We went from selling small items such as cookies and cupcakes to doing custom cakes and wedding cakes. We were able to triple our sales from 2019 and make back all the money we lost plus more. We spent all of 2021 looking for a location all around Detroit but had no luck after going after at least 20 locations. No one wanted to lease to a new bakery in this climate, and if they did, the lease agreement was not in our favor. So, with no baking supply stores in the actual city of Detroit, I decided to open a cake supply store.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The pandemic caused of us to lose our 6 months pop-up lease as well as other pop-ups and contracts we had with business. Also, we weren’t able to secure a location for almost two years. We pursued various buildings around the city but we could not come to an agreement with the landlords.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The business is named after my wife Charlita, childhood nickname Crummy. She has been baking since she was four and got the name from stealing cookies when her grandmother was not looking. There would be cookie crumbs left all over her face. All of our cakes are custom and baked from scratch (no box cake). Crummy’s sells cake supplies for whoever. If you are a hobby baker, new baker, or experienced baker we have what you need. We also continue to sell custom cakes for those looking. We have a classroom area where we give cake class on many topics. Our class ranges from kids’ cupcakes to learning on how to do a three-tier cake. Finally, we have a small rental kitchen where beginner bakers can get certified, rent, and sell their products. We remember how hard it was for us to give started so we want to give that opportunity to new bakers who may be struggling.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Many people do not know we funded this entire business ourselves. We won a few small grants in 2019 but nothing major. Other than that, my wife and I worked two and three jobs while selling cakes to be able to pay for our location without taking any loans. We applied for many grants in 2020 and 2021 but was not awarded any so we decided to do everything ourselves.
Pricing:
- Kitchen rental introductory $15 an hour
- Beginners cake classes $125
Contact Info:
- Email: Admin@crummiessweetsandtreats.com
- Website: www.crummys.com
- Instagram: crummys_cake_supply_studio
- Facebook: Crummy’s Cake Supply & Studio
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