End-of-Summer News from Short Street Cakes!

I hope that your summer has been vibrant, beautiful, relaxing and fun! Ours has been fantastic, though seemingly short (Jasper’s school, Hall Fletcher Elementary, launched their Balanced Calendar this year, so his first day of school was July 17th!). I also had the incredible, life-changing opportunity to travel to South Africa and Zimbabwe for almost three weeks with my mother and two friends earlier this month, and I am so grateful for that time of learning, both about the natural and human history of Africa, as well as for the precious time spent with family. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to my love, Duncan, for keeping the home fires burning while I was away, and to Short Street Cake’s dynamic and talented General Manager, Jessica Rosenkoetter, who not only “managed” but flourished as a leader in my absence. And of course, I’m extremely thankful to the smart, delightful, and capable crew at the Cake Shop for seamlessly and beautifully executing the responsibilities of the cake shop with grace and style. I’m now looking forward to settling in to another gorgeous West Asheville Autumn! Blessings abound. We look forward to seeing you in and around the Cake Shop this fall, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support. With Love and Gratitude! –Jodi

(photo: Prayer Tree, KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa)

Our New Website Launches NEXT WEEK!

On September 10th, Short Street Cakes will launch our new improved website! Please be patient as our website and email may be down for several hours during that time, but when it’s all up and running we will have an even sleeker, easier-to-use, updated website with a very user-friendly mobile version. Endless thanks to my dear friend Michael Frey of Frey Art and Design, who has singlehandedly designed the Short Street Cakes brand from day 1. We’re so lucky to have such a talented artist and wonderful friend on our team! The new website will also feature cake photography from the talented Ryan Prenger of Pearl to Moon Photography!

(photo of Chloe credit Ryan Prenger of Pearl to Moon)

Harvest Records Celebrates 10 Years!

We’re so proud of our friends and neighbors, Mark and Matt of Harvest Records, who celebrated the 10 year anniversary of their landmark East-West Asheville record store with Transfigurations II: three days of music across three venues and two towns!  Short Street Cakes is pleased as punch to have been a sponsor of Transfigurations II, and to be a fan of the work that Harvest does for music, culture, and community in our beloved town and beyond. Cheers and Congratulations, Guys! Here’s to another 10 and many more.  xoxo

Word on the Street:

There’s lots of big changes coming to our little hillside in the coming months! With last year seeing the addition of two beloved neighbors on our block, Urban Orchard Cider Bar and Wood & Spoon, the introduction of the soon-to-be-implemented Form-Based Code zoning, and of course, the beginning of construction on the transformational New Belgium Brewery, our neighborhood is starting to feel like a bona-fide boom town. The streets are getting re-paved, sidewalks are soon to be built, bike lanes are getting striped, and construction on the new doughnut shop across the street, Hole, is almost complete. Add to that the new Hop Ice Cream production and tasting room being opened down the street, and our stretch of Haywood Road will have earned the name some have begun to call it: Sugar Alley! We welcome our new neighbors with open arms, and hope that our community can continue to grow and serve both our residents and guests with love, and in the spirit of community.

(rainbow and cupcake selfie by the illustrious Karen Blanco)

Farewell, Kaylee!

Jodi, Jess, Lucy, Duggels, Olga, Karen, Chloe, Alexandra, and Sarah!

Congratulations Horse + Hero and Big Love Fest!

Last Sunday saw another successful Big Love Fest! After 7 years of happily slinging cupcakes at the Big Crafty Family of events– (Summer Big Crafty, Winter Big Crafty, and Big Love Fest), every fest feels like a family reunion. I have so much love and admiration for my friends Justin Rabuck and Brandy Bourne (and their awesome little one, my buddy Ellis), who, not only bust out the three massive festivals every year, but who have also had their shop,Horse + Hero, up and running all summer to critical acclaim! We’re especially thankful that they have allowed Short Street Cakes to operate our Downtown Cupcake Kiosk there, where we bring fresh cupcakes every day for your downtown cupcake pleasure. Cheers, Justin and Brandy! We’re so proud of you!

Birds Eye Launches and Soars!

I am so pleased, proud, and excited to announce that the new Bird’s Eye Business Planning Classes will launch next week at Mountain Bizworks! Birds Eye is the entrepreneurial venture of veteran Business Developer Annie Price, who has taken the beloved Foundations in Business curriculum, updated it, and is offering the classes to new and existing entrepreneurs in our community. My first Birds Eye class launches on Tuesday,September 16th, at 9am at Mountain Bizworks’ downtown Asheville offices. After a long, difficult winter following a  liquidity crunch at Bizworks last fall, I could not have imagined a more positive outcome for the future of Asheville’s business planning and training community. I’m honored to continue my work as a teacher with Birds Eye and as a coach with Bizworks. Onward and Upward!

Other Things I’m Excited About:

• The Asheville Blade: Journalist David Forbes’ new cutting-edge, hard-hitting, ad-free, reader-funded online newspaper.
• Sovereign Remedies:  a small “Restaurant-Supported Agriculture” cafe/bar opening soon in Asheville NC, brought to you by a bartender, farmer and baker. Creating change one drink at a time.
• WABA Wednesday: On September 10, 2014, from 4:30 – 6:00 pm, join the West Asheville Business Association for WABA Wednesday at Rainbow Community School’s New Community Auditorium at 60 State Street, featuring an open house and expansion celebration.
• West Asheville Garden Stroll:  The 2014 Stroll includes approximately 12 gardens in West Asheville, with this year’s gardens centered along Brevard Road and surrounding neighborhoods. Garden features along the way will include set-ups for chickens and bees, heirloom vegetables, a pollinator corridor, a monarch way station, experimental blight resistant chestnuts, and garden art.