Seattle, WA
Donors whip up a better holiday season for Seattle bakery after theft, sluggish sales
Donors whip up a better holiday season for Seattle bakery after theft
Donors helped to whip up a better ending for a West Seattle bakery after a major setback right before the holidays when someone stole their SUV.
SEATTLE – Donors helped to whip up a better ending for a West Seattle bakery after a major setback right before the holidays when someone stole their SUV.
The owners of the family bakery, Lovely and Dapper Desserts, Emily and Drew Crain, say their stolen, blue 2006 Chevy Tahoe was the bread and butter of their mobile bakery business. Though police were investigating, the vehicle was never recovered.
However, a couple of anonymous donors stepped in after FOX 13’s initial coverage of the theft, and helped to save the business during a challenging time that included a sluggish holiday season for retailers across the board.
“We have so much space back here,” said Drew Crain, co-owner of Lovely and Dapper Desserts. “That’s enough space for us to do everything.”
For Emily and Drew Crain, an SUV with lots of space in the back provides a recipe for success for the mobile business.
“Everything fits in this truck. “That’s why it’s so wonderful for us to have,” said Drew, showing off the space in the back.
The mobile bakery business was nearly wrecked when their Chevy Tahoe was initially taken. That was until fate stepped in, and the family says two generous FOX 13 viewers were able to steer the couple in a different direction.
“They emailed us after seeing the news story,” said Emily Crain, co-owner of Lovely and Dapper Desserts. “They just wanted us to succeed and were inspired by our little family business and wanted to do something to help.”
The couple, who wanted to remain anonymous, donated the SUV, pictured below, right after FOX 13’s initial story aired.
“It’s tough, it’s powerful, it’s strong,” said Drew, praising the donated SUV.
The vehicle allowed them to transport 8–9 totes full of desserts at a time to the Seattle Christmas Market and beyond for the 2024 holiday season.
“Everything happened in the nick of time,” said Drew. The couple is pictured at a holiday market below.
The SUV also proved to be an economical engine during a much slower holiday season.
“It was definitely less than last season,” said Emily. “It kind of just followed the pattern of the year. Honestly, all the other vendors we talked to, they kind of had the same experience.”
The couple used the Tahoe to drive additional sales in markets that would have been inaccessible without it.
“With the right tires, it goes over the snow, it allows us to be able to get cake wherever cake is needed,” said Drew.
The couple is now planning to open a brick and mortar bakery inside the space pictured below in Olympia in February.
As for the Tahoe donors, “We gave them a little card that says cake for life,” said Emily. “They were tickled by that.”
The Crain family is fundraising online for their new space in Olympia, where they hope to also host a community market featuring locally made goods. They are also looking for leads on kitchen equipment for their new bakery in Olympia.
“We are just so thankful for the community and everything they’ve done for us and our small family business,” said Emily.
The family will also be selling cakes at pop-up locations in the coming weeks.
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