Brown Sugar Bakeshop.(New Businesses: A Listing of Business Start-Ups in Arkansas)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Brown Sugar Bakeshop

Owner: Kristi Williams

Address: 400 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock

Phone: (501) 372-4009

Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Startup: March 21, 2009

Web site: www.brownsugarbakeshop.com

Brown Sugar Bakeshop in downtown Little Rock started with two sisters and a much-desired Easy-Bake oven.

"I cried and cried for one, for as long as I remember," owner Kristi Williams said. "I begged for it for Christmas, and once I got it, we would just play around with that thing for hours."

With a love for cooking and a background working at the family diner, Williams opened a catering business with her sister, April, eight years ago.

After running the catering business as a side job for two years, Williams decided to take the next step and open a bakeshop. Six years and $30,000 later, Brown Sugar Bakeshop opened.

The Williams sisters make a variety of desserts, including cookies, brownies, cakes, pies and muffins.

Williams said that the chocolate chip cookies are their signature creation, but she is also proud of their Italian limoncello cupcakes. All deserts are individually portioned, including their pies and cakes, which are 3 to 4 inches in diameter.

Even though there is a lot of competition in the Little Rock baking industry, Williams said that their knowledge of what people want sets the Brown Sugar Bakeshop apart.

"We grew up in the area, and we know the people," she said. "This is the type of dessert we grew up on. We put a lot of effort into capturing the spirit of old-fashioned bakeshops. We want to capture a little bit of Paris and a little bit of Arkansas and make that work."

Print Get the Mag Weekly Updates