On Saturday the 23rd of November we officially opened Abba Cakes, our Grand Opening was to coincide with the switch on of the Hoylake Lights that evening. After a busy couple of weeks decorating and getting the shop ready we had a day to prepare our first batches of cake, cookies & pastries to go on sale.
Opening day was a bit hectic in the morning with our opening pushed back twice to 11:30am from an original plan to open at 10am with so much still to prepare. Already friends and supportive locals were starting to queue up excited to see what our little pink shop would offer. The beautiful flower arrangement around our storefront certainly got a lot of attention and comments. Thank you so much Debbie @ lilacandthyme.co.uk for your beautiful work.
Our selection for the day included Cinamon Christmas Tree Pastries, Pistacho Brownies, Brookies, a selection of cakes slices including carrot cake and rich chocolate cake. Decorated tree shaped brownies, Dunce de Leche croissants, gingerbread jumpers, New York Cookies and other assorted fruit pastries all infused with a Latin & Mediterranean essence.
Queues on the day were non stop with many people ordering a selection of cakes boxed up so they could samples the range. With the selection moving quickly Nikki my assistant chef and I put on an additional 2 batches throughout the afternoon to service the demand with friends and pleased customers spreading the word and drumming up excitement for our first day with so many well-wishers stopping by who had been following Abba Cakes on social media the last few months and those who were familiar with my cakes being sold in local cafes.
By half 4 in the afternoon, one and a half hours before the Christmas lights switch on our last item, a Dulce de Leche croissant was sold. This was totally unexpected as we had planned to be providing sweet treats all evening to families and visitors there to see the switch on. The real crowds hadn’t even started to arrive by this time so it gave us the opportunity to rest and clean up but also for us to continue having conversations with locals and visitors about the shop, the story and when they would be returning to ensure they didn’t miss out next time!
A big thank you to everyone who made my first day of trading in my own shop making my dream come true. As things become more established we can’t wait to show you what other delicious treats we have planned for the shelves over this festive season.
Muchas Gracias, Laura.