Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Hola Baykahs!
Look at me keeping my blogging schedule!!! That's what happens when you have TIME because you're a little slow in the mornings....

WHAT? SLOW? WHAT'S WRONG?? HOW'S THE BUSINESS DOING??

tsp. is FINE. However, we are suffering from the NEW BUSINESS problem. It's the age-old problem that every new business has to go through: GETTING TO KNOW YOU. Actually, our problems are pretty specific. The people of Las Vegas need  to realize that 1) WE ARE OPEN; 2) WE ARE OPEN AT 6 AM (we are next to a Starbucks that opens at 4:30, so I thought 6 am would be great in case they need cupcakes or cookies for work, school, etc...); 3) WE ARE DELICIOUS (this one is tough because I think SO many people have been burned by the "I look cute, but I taste like SH*T" bakeries, so they are reluctant to YET AGAIN give their money away and be disappointed; 4) WE ARE OPEN (seriously, people don't know no matter how many lights I have on).

I've tried to solve all these problems by having my beautiful counter girls out front with baking pans full of FREE SAMPLE MINIS, and that is slowly, but surely getting people in the door. I mean WHO CAN SAY NO TO LUCY??

In addition to the "ARE YOU OPEN" problem, I'm seeing another little problem....it's the "Why don't you have INSERT BAKED GOOD HERE like you used to at Retro?"

Yes...I know I OWNED Retro...and I CREATED it...but tsp. is DIFFERENT. I am doing my absolute BEST to keep the flavors FAMILIAR but not THE SAME. I want it to be a different place and that includes the flavors....and baked goods. In fact, I have something TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY NEW, and I can't stop EATING IT....

WHAT IS IT???

It's CINNAMON ROLLS.

Cinnamon rolls aren't DIFFERENT. I see those everywhere.

Well, tsp. has the most delicious, flaky, creamy, cinnamony cinnamon rolls I have EVER EATEN.

The are a croissant-like, flaky dough that I smother in butter, brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon and then drench in cinnamon buttercream!!!! They are slightly crunchy, slightly gooey, and AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS.

Oh yeah...
AND, we have FAIRY ROLLS.

Fairy Rolls?? HUH??

Fairy Rolls were invented because I kept hearing and reading about Fairy Bread from Australia (which is LITERALLY white bread spread with butter and dipped in nonpareils), and I thought that I MUST create something as rad as that...and Fairy Rolls were BORN!

They are the same dough I use for the cinnamon rolls, but I just butter and sugar the dough and sprinkle on rainbow JIMMIES!

I smother the rolls with vanilla bean frosting and add MORE jimmies and MAGIC!!! Ok...it's not REAL magic, but it IS real DISCO GLITTER which is pretty much magic in a jar.

My initial idea was just to have "Cinnamon Sundays" and only sell them on Sundays...but guess what? I gave out free samples on the Friday and Saturday before our first Sunday with rolls....and people NOW WANT THEM EVERY DAY!!!! Every early customer I have had on Monday and today ALL came in for Cinnamon Rolls.

So, I'm listening. I ordered some new display boxes, and I am launching them every day when those cases arrive. Because as you ALL know PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING.

It's a slow start, but we'll get there...ONE BITE AT A TIME...TOGETHER.

See you next Tuesday...with Fairy Rolls.

KG

O is for OVERWHELMING

Hola Baykahs!!

     It's me...your insanely UNDER-SLEPT, SORE, BONE-CREEKY, CRAZY BAYKAH!!!

     Who did I think I was taking six months off and LITERALLY sitting on the couch the entire time????? I completely forgot how PHYSICAL the job of baking is!!!! And working 18 hours a day on your feet isn't the BEST thing to do. So, now my body is saying, "Hey...you may THINK you're 17, but GIRL...YOU ARE WAY OLDER THAN THAT! CALM DOWN!" But we all know that this is temporary. I'm working like a crazy person to make sure it's all running smoothly (or as smoothly as your first week CAN run) and trying to make sure most of the plates I'm spinning don't fall on the ground (just the ones that are ok to break, I guess).

     To sum up our first week I would use the word OVERWHELMING...in a couple of ways.

1) The OVERWHELMING positive response to being OPEN! Old customers, new customers, people just walking by and coming in to see what the heck we are...they have ALL been so happy that we are HERE in North Las Vegas in a convenient location!!!

2) The OVERWHELMING inability for me to get BACK to my old routine of waking up without an alarm at 3:15 am. Six months off had really reset my body clock, and I was naturally getting up at 5. The JARRING of the alarm isn't so fun. But...I'll get used to it and probably start beating my alarm by a couple of minutes like always (yes..I am THAT competitive).

3) The OVERWHELMING feeling of forgetting things...I'm SO not used to doing the behind-the-scenes ordering and stocking and SHOPPING. I feel like I'll get it down to a science SOON, but I have been forgetting where I get certain products...how many I should by...and WHEN I should buy them. This is a whole new ballgame of AMAZING foot traffic, and we ran out of 300 boxes in ONE WEEK!!! So, I ordered 1000 to make sure I have some breathing room for the next couple of weeks.

4) The OVERWHELMING outpouring of support from our friends and family. It has been so amazing seeing the messages and the friendly faces who "just came to see you and meet your new husband because I missed you so much, and I'm so excited for you both!!!" It is truly touching how many people have reached out to us making sure we know how much they care. It has been the VERY BEST part of working this hard and giving it ALL WE HAVE to make a dessert destination that is more than just SWEETS. It's a place where you can meet new friends, connect with old friends, enjoy your family, and even get to know your community.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Yes. I know how cliche that last sentence SOUNDS, but it is REALLY true. I want tsp. to be a place where it is FUN to come and chat and catch up and EAT YUMMY TREATS!

tsp. has been everything I thought it could be...and it's ONLY Week 1! Richard and I are so grateful to our crew who keep us afloat, and the customers that keep us going! And we are truly honored to be a part of your lives...even if it's just in a bite of a mini cupcake.

Here's to many many many more weeks of struggle, learning, and being THANKFUL for every bit of it!

photo by Jill Heupel

See you next Tuesday.

KG

Hola. Mi Llamo Mrs. Garcia

Hola Baykahs!

What?? No ELLO?? Are you still the CRAZY BAYKAH that I know and LOVE/HATE/LIKE?

YES. But, it's a HOLA now. You may have heard I have a new last name... a NEW BAKERY...and now a new blog.

Let's catch you up:

I got separated, divorced, met the LOVE of my life, sold my bakery, got married, and created my NEW bakery all in the last two years...

Let's answer your most obvious questions:

1) WTF? Are you insane?? Why did you give up RETRO??
  -I didn't give up Retro. I SOLD Retro to my ex-husband. It lives, and I get small portions of profit from now until it's paid in full. It became painfully obvious that he and I could not work together any longer, so I decided to let it go. Which quite honestly, was one of the most painful decisions I have ever made. Retro was my baby. However, it had morphed into this business that I suddenly didn't recognize, and frankly, I didn't want to deal with anymore.

2) How are your girls?
   -Abbi and Lucy are GREAT. Abbi is a Freshman at UNLV majoring in vocal performance. She has Disney dreams, and she is well on her way to working for Disney when she graduates. Lucy is now in 6th grade and is QUITE the singer herself. She is currently trying to juggle working at two bakeries, homework, and face-timing her friends.

3) Who is your new hubby?
    -Richard Garcia is his name. He walked right into my life at the exact time I needed him, and he decided to let me build the bakery of my dreams while he stays ACTIVE DUTY in the U.S. Air Force for the next two years. He is a co-owner and VERY hands on, but his first commitment for the time being is the military. Good news? We love each other and are fully committed to our marriage and our business and my girls. The bad news? He got orders to move to Iowa. SO, Richard will be living in Iowa City teaching ROTC at the University of Iowa for the next two years starting in February. He will be able to come home at least once a month and (FINGERS CROSSED) each holiday.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I knew he was in the military when I met him, and I remember thinking "Kari. This will bite you eventually." But I kept seeing him....then loving him....then MARRYING him....and BITE. It's not even CLOSE to ideal. I'm scared as hell to be alone in this new bakery for most of each month, but IT IS WHAT IT IS. He is IN the military. This is what happens, and it is better than most military family's situations. So, I'm not bitter. I'm just sad that I won't see him every day, and now just typing those words it's becoming too real.....SOOOOOOOOOO

4) What is the new bakery called? And what does the name stand for?
     -tsp. baking company is our new baby. It means TEASPOON. It's based on a couple of things...I ALWAYS lose my teaspoon when I bake, so I actually had tsp tattooed on me a while ago just because of THAT. It's also from my favorite scene of my FAVORITE Disney movie, Sleeping Beauty. The fairies are trying to bake a cake for Aurora without using magic, and Fauna can't figure out what a "TISP" is while reading the recipe.
     At tsp. we serve ONLY mini cupcakes, cakes, cookies, and Lappert's ice cream (that you can make ICE CREAM SANDWICHES with). It has a couple of tables, a rainbow glitter floor....and a DISCO BALL. It's literally the EXACT bakery I always wanted: a fun, delicious, HAPPY place. I have a few secrets up my sleeve for the future...but that's what I have FOR NOW. I need to keep baking a little longer before I announce anything else.

5) Are you ok?
     -Yes. I am GREAT. I have learned a LOT about myself in the past year. I learned that your mind can trick you into believing things IF YOU LET IT. I also learned that FEAR is just FEAR and nothing else (I read that somewhere). So, instead of burying myself in someone else's business and working for another person I decided to try it again....PUT IT ALL ON THE TABLE....START FROM SCRATCH. And here I am...standing in tsp. baking company...blogging to YOU...listening to my two employees talking about which cakes to bake next. ALL IS RIGHT WITH MY WORLD.

Any other questions? Comment...and I'll answer. I'm trying to blog more frequently now. The plan is once a week on Tuesday. It's time to get BACK INTO THE GAME. So, here I am...the CRAZY BAYKAH IS BACK.

tsp. baking company is NOW OPEN! You can see pics and fun at tsp. baking company on our facebook page or INSTAGRAM! I update all the time...and I WORK all the time. So, if you're in Vegas take a drive up north and come visit.

Until then...See you next Tuesday.
(if you get that joke we can be best friends forever)

xoxo,
Mrs. Kari Garcia