Simply Caketastic grows on solid foundation
Published 3:20 pm Wednesday, August 29, 2012
MARYSVILLE — Simply Caketastic, featuring custom-designed cake and pastry, opened in downtown Marysville in early May and entrepreneur Jessi Graves is getting rave reviews on Facebook, Twitter and face-to-face from enthused customers.
“You don’t have to pay big fees for customized cakes,” she said, noting that her services are in a separate world from retail store cakes, offering more freshness, flavor and her personalized decorating creativity.
“We talk with people about what they want for weddings, birthday parties or even corporate events, such as creating business logos in the frosting,” said Graves, 34. “We spend time finding out the special interests of the people, groups or businesses getting the cakes, making it just how they want it and wowing them with the final product.”
Her website, www.simplycaketastic.com, developed by her husband and business co-owner, John, offers several photo pages of cake and pastry designs as samples of her work.
“You won’t find sample cakes in our display case because they’re all custom made, one-of-a-kind, and we create them over several days for fresh deliveries or pick up, although we do have cupcakes, pies, cheesecakes and other items on display daily,” she said.
Her multitiered wedding cakes include “cupcake” wedding cakes, a hot trend that creates the illusion of a multitiered wedding cake by building the base with cupcakes and adding tiers of cupcakes to a peak that holds the traditional bride-and-groom figurine. John Graves builds specially tiered frames to hold everything in place.
Party cakes are custom decorated with guitars, business or military unit logos, school team colors and mascot images and race cars or cartoon characters for kids.
The Graveses are enjoying the Pacific Northwest after moving here from Maryland with their two young children, two cats and a dog in 2011 for John Graves’ new job with the Lynnwood office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
While in Maryland, Jessi Graves earned a business administration degree and learned cake and pastry baking and decorating at a renowned Washington, D.C., bakery whose clients include the White House and major hotels in the capital.
Her sister, Jodi, a silent partner in the business, found work in the Northwest, too, and now lives in Mountlake Terrace.
“I also added a part-time baker, Heather, who came at just the right time,” Graves said. “I had committed to five wedding cakes and a party cake and suddenly found myself challenged for time. That’s when Heather came in looking for work. She’s been fantastic.”
Graves credits the Northwest Washington Women’s Business Center’s downtown Everett office for helping create a business plan and praises the Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce for enabling her to promote her business in the community.
“We’ve gotten a huge welcome from the local business community,” she said, “and referrals from the Marysville Opera House, Leifer Manor and word of mouth. Also, television reality shows like Cake Boss help educate people about custom cakes.”
Learn more
For information, visit Simply Caketastic at 1357 State Ave., go to www.simplycaketastic.com or call 360-653-3113.
