Cakes With Jaz Expansion Project
Donation protected
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jasmine McAfee, I own and operate Cakes With Jaz, as a sole proprietor. I graduated from Southwestern Oregon Community College with an Associates degree in Small business/Entrepreneurship in 2011. While in school I built Cakes With Jaz from the ground up. I wrote a business plan, I set up the accounting records, I built a marketing plan, and I started converting my extra space in my kitchen to an in-home bakery. The first goal I wrote down in January of 2010 was to get my domestic kitchen license and become a “legit business”.
In February of 2010 that goal was achieved. I did the research and with a few hundred dollars and a couple of cupboards, Cakes With Jaz was a licensed reality! I started to sell cake pops and cupcakes at the local roller derby bouts. Friends, and friends of friends, started ordering cakes through my Facebook page. That Christmas, dozens of cake balls shipped out all over the US!
In the summer of 2011 I started a Farmer’s market stand in downtown Coos Bay, and that winter my husband and I bought a house. We found a great little house with room for us and our two children, and the business! We converted the formal dining area of our new house to hold all the bakery equipment I’d accumulated. the business continued to grow and before I knew it, I had grown out of the space in the house.
In July of 2013, I was approached to buy the equipment from a bakery in Charleston, and lease the space that it was in. It is the same space Cakes With Jaz currently calls home. I moved in and had the grand opening in August of 2013. That year proved to be quite successful, it was our first year to turn a profit. 2014, my first full year in Charleston, I produced 37 wedding cakes, attended a full 6 months of weekly farmer’s markets, and created numerous birthday and celebration cakes.
After nearly 5 years in business, and 18 months in the Charleston, Cakes With Jaz needs a new location! Charleston was a great place to start slow, and to build up the possibilities for a storefront location. With the seasonal ebb and flow of tourists in Charleston, the summers are almost too busy to handle alone, and the winters leave me wondering where everyone went! I need to bring the shop closer to my customers, and into a more easily accessible downtown location. With more daily foot traffic I hope to be able to hire some part-time help and take on more orders!
As the 2014 Farmer's market season came to an end, I set a goal to move the shop before the end of the year. While keeping my eyes and ears open, I’ve been patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself. While there are many great empty buildings in the Coos Bay / North Bend community that would be amazing, they are simply out of my price range. I’ve done a lot of research to make an informed decision by creating a strict budget, and being realistic about what I will be able to afford. As of yesterday, I believe I have found the perfect location!
The New Location
The building I found has potential for extreme growth. It’s located less than a block from highway 101, in the heart of downtown Coos Bay, and has enough room for the possibilities of classes, workshops, birthday parties, and so much more! The best part, the monthly rent is affordable enough to fit within my monthly budget!
The only thing stopping me from making the move today is the funds needed for the actual move, and the help needed to make the space a working bakery.
Any donations I receive will go towards the first month rent and deposit (appx $1100), moving my hard-wired oven and having it installed (appx $100), and the materials and labor to build a working counter space/storage that can also house a dishwashing area (appx $800). The space currently has a utility sink in the same location I’ll need to have a more appropriate sink installed, so needed plumbing should be quite limited.
If you are interested and able to donate any time or materials towards this project it will be just as appreciated, if not more appreciated, than a monetary donation. My largest expense by far, will be the labor involved in getting the kitchen to a workable state.
I am ready to take Cakes With Jaz to the next level! With a little help from my amazing supporters I know this can be achieved! please donate today and help make Cakes With Jaz a bigger, better, more accessable fixture in our community!
In February of 2010 that goal was achieved. I did the research and with a few hundred dollars and a couple of cupboards, Cakes With Jaz was a licensed reality! I started to sell cake pops and cupcakes at the local roller derby bouts. Friends, and friends of friends, started ordering cakes through my Facebook page. That Christmas, dozens of cake balls shipped out all over the US!
In the summer of 2011 I started a Farmer’s market stand in downtown Coos Bay, and that winter my husband and I bought a house. We found a great little house with room for us and our two children, and the business! We converted the formal dining area of our new house to hold all the bakery equipment I’d accumulated. the business continued to grow and before I knew it, I had grown out of the space in the house.
In July of 2013, I was approached to buy the equipment from a bakery in Charleston, and lease the space that it was in. It is the same space Cakes With Jaz currently calls home. I moved in and had the grand opening in August of 2013. That year proved to be quite successful, it was our first year to turn a profit. 2014, my first full year in Charleston, I produced 37 wedding cakes, attended a full 6 months of weekly farmer’s markets, and created numerous birthday and celebration cakes.
After nearly 5 years in business, and 18 months in the Charleston, Cakes With Jaz needs a new location! Charleston was a great place to start slow, and to build up the possibilities for a storefront location. With the seasonal ebb and flow of tourists in Charleston, the summers are almost too busy to handle alone, and the winters leave me wondering where everyone went! I need to bring the shop closer to my customers, and into a more easily accessible downtown location. With more daily foot traffic I hope to be able to hire some part-time help and take on more orders!
As the 2014 Farmer's market season came to an end, I set a goal to move the shop before the end of the year. While keeping my eyes and ears open, I’ve been patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself. While there are many great empty buildings in the Coos Bay / North Bend community that would be amazing, they are simply out of my price range. I’ve done a lot of research to make an informed decision by creating a strict budget, and being realistic about what I will be able to afford. As of yesterday, I believe I have found the perfect location!
The New Location
The building I found has potential for extreme growth. It’s located less than a block from highway 101, in the heart of downtown Coos Bay, and has enough room for the possibilities of classes, workshops, birthday parties, and so much more! The best part, the monthly rent is affordable enough to fit within my monthly budget!
The only thing stopping me from making the move today is the funds needed for the actual move, and the help needed to make the space a working bakery.
Any donations I receive will go towards the first month rent and deposit (appx $1100), moving my hard-wired oven and having it installed (appx $100), and the materials and labor to build a working counter space/storage that can also house a dishwashing area (appx $800). The space currently has a utility sink in the same location I’ll need to have a more appropriate sink installed, so needed plumbing should be quite limited.
If you are interested and able to donate any time or materials towards this project it will be just as appreciated, if not more appreciated, than a monetary donation. My largest expense by far, will be the labor involved in getting the kitchen to a workable state.
I am ready to take Cakes With Jaz to the next level! With a little help from my amazing supporters I know this can be achieved! please donate today and help make Cakes With Jaz a bigger, better, more accessable fixture in our community!
Organizer
Jasmine McAfee
Organizer
Coos Bay, OR
