Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Hayes.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Amy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 2004, our 13-month-old son, Rylee, passed away, very suddenly from a brain tumor. We found out that he had a brain tumor 10 hours before he passed away. Up until that day, he was the perfect, healthy little sweet boy. I found myself lost in a world I didn’t know what to do in anymore since I was a stay at home mom and overwhelmed with grief. To work through my grief, I began painting pretty much anything I could get my hands on. Painting on everything then led to “painting” on cookies. I started baking cookies and decorating them, honestly having no clue as to what I was doing. But that didn’t stop me from volunteering me and my husband to make 200+ cookies for our church VBS. One of the mom’s at the church saw those cookies and contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in making cookies for her daughter’s first birthday. With an aching, slightly envious, but joyous heart, I put everything I had into those little crown-shaped cookies for her first birthday. That order was a hit! And by word of mouth alone, led to another order, which led to another order and so on. I officially started SweetFace in 2006. I created custom decorated cookies out of my tiny home kitchen from 2006 until I opened my brick and mortar shop in 2015. We have grown the business from not just custom decorated cookies, but custom cakes, wedding cakes, over 100 different flavors of cupcakes, cookies, pies, dessert bars and more, and are gearing to open our second location in the coming year.
“SweetFace” was the nickname I called my baby boy… I would wake him every morning saying “Good morning, my little SweetFace!” God has blessed me by taking something so dark and painful and turning it into a way to find joy.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been quite the roller coaster. As a woman business owner, your kindness can often be looked at as being weak and timid… even by other women… and that can take you through things you never thought you would experience. The best advice I could give would be to keep your head high and your faith even higher. And to always, always, always allow your faith to be bigger than your fear. Believe in yourself and remember that whether you say you can or you can’t, you are 100% right.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about SweetFace Sugar Shoppe & Bakery – what should we know?
SweetFace is known for the custom decorated cookies since that is what built the business from my little home kitchen. We have since grown the business and are now also known for our special occasion cakes, wedding cakes, birthday cakes, over 100 different cupcake flavors, and our very known for our Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. What sets us apart from others is our desire for over the top attention to detail and that our sweets remind customers of those like their moms and grandmothers used to bake. It is a nostalgic atmosphere with a lot of love!
Which women have inspired you in your life?
The women of my family have inspired me through all that they lived through and all that they have taught me, and many of the recipes we use in the bakery our those that have been passed down from generations. My mom is an incredible woman who devoted every waking moment to her family and our joy… there was not a day that went by that my sisters and I were not her number one priority. A typical Tuesday would find the kitchen filled with the smell of homemade cookies… even after she worked a full day at work. She just magnified the definition of a mom. My grandmothers were both women of strength and dignity… raising their families with the hardships and struggles of their time, while still devoting their waking moments to bringing joy, even when the struggle was there for them. And there was not a day, in any of their lives, where the kitchen didn’t play a huge role in bringing comfort and joy.
Contact Info:
- Address: 134 East Main Street, Royse City, Texas 75189
- Website: www.sweetfacebakes.com
- Phone: 4697235110
- Email: sweetfacesugarshoppe@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/sweetfacebakes
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sweetfacebakes
Image Credit:
Chualee Photography
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