2025 wrapped up with a bow
This year has been an absolute whirlwind. I opened my cookie decorating studio mid January of this year with the expectation of using it solely for a space when private classes might need it.
I had zero intention of using it as an actual decorating studio, or hosting public classes.
In the beginning of Jan I posted my first public class tickets on my old website. I expected just a few people to come so I could re-coup my last wages from setting up the new space.
Unexpectedly, nearly 60 tickets sold within the first 3 days. I didn’t know what to do. I had one small table and a few chairs. Nothing was prepared. I scrambled. I got painting done. Ordered a bunch of new chairs and somehow-got everything ready. By mid January we had over 100 individuals signed up to take our classes.
I assumed, this was a “new business rush” and that the hype came simply from there being no other dedicated cookie decorating studios in Wisconsin.
When I launched my February classes I expected a few sign ups, but again, 100 individuals signed up.
March was a bit less and I assumed the slow down was coming and I’d go back to nonchalant business ownership.
But then April-August maintained the same traction. I realized early on I was going to have to decide where I wanted to take my business and what I wanted to gain from all of this. It was never money.
I realized quickly that we wouldn’t be able to stay in our tiny 250sqft location long term and would need to start exploring alternate options. We floated the idea of our own store front but didn’t want to jump too deep too fast. That is when we found Maltworks at Belle City Square . What sold me, was truly the managers of the property. They have a heart for their community and local businesses and I knew it would be the right location for me to take the next step in our business growth journey.
We took off the month of September to, once
Again, scramble building out an entirely new
Studio. BUT THIS TIME, I had a vision.
My heart has really been fully poured into this whole thing that bloomed from the seeds of zero-expectations.
I am SO thankful every single day, for the people I have met on this journey. The people I have gotten to know, to talk with, to see regularly. Honestly? Some of ya’ll are starting to feel like family. I get excited when I see familiar names on our sign up sheet. Classes feel more like a family get together than a group of strangers.
We have been able to do some pretty awesome things this year. We have donated dozens of free cookies and tickets to local non-profits, charity events, and fundraisers. We were able to raise nearly $600 for Hope Safehouse. We celebrated with friends, family and all of you-through cultural events like cinco de mayo, Easter, Dia de Los Muertos.
This is just the start. We plan to continue to pursue celebrating what makes each of us different in every way we can find. We plan to continue to find ways to support each other, and other local businesses. We can empower one another to circulate money locally, build togetherness, and slow down in inclusive spaces that take us back to the days before social media, screens and internet. Instead, we just enjoy the company of those around us, and if I must say-that’s pretty SWEET to me
I am proud yet humbled, because without all of you (who I now call friends) this wouldn’t be possible. It’s exciting. It’s exhilarating. We will continue to EAT our mistakes, and own the challenges. I am SO excited to see what 2026 holds for us.
Year to date, we have serviced:
-225 private classes
-102 public classes
-351 custom orders
-30,500 cookies baked (low estimate assuming every order and every class was the minimum size-which we can assure you, actual numbers are FAR FAR higher .)
-Hundreds of memories created
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for bringing to life a dream I never fully could have imagined.
-Miranda
