Olivia’s Goodie Shop, a Stuart-based home business, has found a permanent location across the street from Circle K.
Since she started the business out of her home a couple of years ago, owner Monica Hughes said she’s been looking for a commercial space.
“I guess I started getting so much busier that I started running out of room. So, me wanting to have my own commercial space has been a want for a while, it’s just I couldn’t find anything available,” she said.
Once a space became available, Hughes said she was ready to act.
She is considering a grand opening sometime in February.
“I’m going to sell products there as well as have seating available for people if they want to relax. It’ll kind of be a comfy vibe, almost like a café vibe. I’m going to be able to have comfy furniture and Wi-Fi in case they want to work off their computers and stuff like that,” she said.
In addition to her baked goods, Hughes also plans on selling chocolates and candies and having a coffee bar.
Hughes, who also runs the Patrick County Children Clothing Swap Facebook group, said one idea she wants to implement is a children’s clothing swap area. She wants to set up bins and shelves for parents to turn in unwanted or outgrown children’s clothing, and allow other parents to be able to peruse the items collected.
“They can just get it if they need it. So, it’s kind of like a take if you need, leave something if you don’t kind of thing. I just want it to be like a safe space for parents if they do need something,” she said.
Hughes will also donate five percent of her quarterly sales to an establishment of her choosing that is involved with autism.
“My daughter is autistic. Last quarter we donated to PHS Autism Center in Martinsville,” she said.
While she’ll be selling her baked goods at the Stuart location, Hughes said she will continue to bake them at the Spencer Penn Centre.
“There’s a kitchen set up in the space at Stuart, but it’s not a huge commercial kitchen like Spencer Penn has. Everything will be baked every other day. I’ll go down there after the shop closes and bake in their kitchen, and then just transport it to Stuart,” she said.
Hughes began partnering with Spencer Penn in October to offer baking classes in exchange for letting her use their commercial kitchen.
So far, Hughes has held an adult charcuterie board class and a cupcake and cuties class for children. She is considering doing a couple’s class for Valentine’s Day.
“Sometimes we can have anywhere from four students to 15,” she added.
Since starting, Hughes said her business has been great.
“When I first started here, I guess people didn’t know who I was or what I was doing,” she said. “I think positive reviews that I’ve gotten and word of mouth in a small town travels far because business has been really good.”
Hughes said she also enjoys preparing every order she’s received, especially the custom cake orders.
“I give my customers credit, sometimes they come up with really unique ideas for me to do stuff, and I just love it. I have fun with it,” she said.
Her most popular items include cupcakes, gourmet cookies, pastries, and layered cakes. She also makes parfaits, fruit and cheesecake trays, cinnamon buns, and other items for purchase.
Hughes started her business when she moved to Patrick County from Roanoke as a stay-at-home mom.
“I knew I had a passion for baking, I just didn’t know the business aspect of it. It took me a while to learn because I’m a self-taught baker. Everything I learned, I learned from Google and reading books, and watching TikTok,” she said.
For more information, go to Facebook.com/Olivia’sGoodieShop, or www.oliviagoodieshop.com.
To contact Hughes call (276) 692-8745 or email her at monica@oliviagoodieshop.com.
