The corner of K Avenue and 15th Street has historically housed a coffee shop, but when Bake Rejoice moved in last February, the coffee was accompanied by cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls and more. Joyce Sheperd and her array of goodies have nestled their way into the heart of downtown Plano, and it seems Bake Rejoice is here to stay.
Sheperd has been cooking, baking and decorating for what she says feels like forever. She went through El Centro College's chef apprenticeship program and later filled an opening at Dallas Affairs, where she realized that cake decorating was her passion. Owning her own shop soon became her dream, and 12 years later, Bake Rejoice came to fruition.
"I knew I always wanted to be in downtown Plano," Sheperd said. "I love it here so much; it's a little treasure that not enough people know about."
Step through the door at any time of the day and the smell of a busy kitchen will invite you in. Sheperd estimates that she puts in about 12 hours a day, but she doesn't expect to fall out of love with cakes and baking any time soon.
"I do almost everything myself," Sheperd said. "It's fun to come in every morning and decide what I'm in the mood for and then bake it."
One of the other mouthwatering aromas floating in the air at Bake Rejoice is that of the coffee, which is provided by another local business committed to providing delicious products - Mark's Brothers big World Roasters Coffee. Founded by Brian and Greg Holmes, two local self-described 'coffee fanatics,' Mark's Brothers Coffee allowed them to turn their home-roasting hobby into a livelihood.
"One of my customers goes to church with (the Holmes) and brought in a bag of their coffee, and I was impressed by how good it was," Sheperd said. "Plus, it was nice that they were starting up at the same time that I was, and I love supporting local businesses."
As far as growth is concerned, Sheperd says most of her business comes from ordering cakes online, but she's seen a demand for ice cream in downtown Plano and would eventually like to team up with someone like Henry's Homemade Ice Cream. after all, there's nothing better than pie and ice cream.
As long as she is providing quality products and receiving positive feedback, Sheperd says she will be happy.
"Right now, I'm just taking these first few years," Sheperd said. "Just like everything else, I'm going to let it organically grow."