Sweet Bakes Donuts & Cakes Is Whipping Up Sweet Treats in Columbia, TN
This donut and cake shop grew from a home-based business to a brick-and-mortar shop.
One of the most popular coffee/donut hot spots in Maury County today – Sweet Bakes Donuts & Cakes – started as a home-based bakery in Nashville in 2014. Owner Shell Snyder originally sold her baked goods to coffee shops and customers in Nashville until she and her family moved to Columbia in 2016. She opened a brick-and-mortar location in the Columbia Arts Building in November 2017.
“I was only making cakes while in Nashville, but when we moved to Columbia, I missed some of the unique donut shops in Nashville,” she says. “So, I decided to start making donuts from scratch to sell along with the custom cakes, cinnamon rolls, breakfast sandwiches, bagels and other items we sell at our store.”
Today, Snyder sells baked goods (try the lemon-blueberry cupcakes!) out of her shop on Trotwood Avenue, which also has a drive-thru.
“Initially, I wasn’t sure about having a drive-thru because I like personal service, but I am so glad we installed it,” she says. “With COVID-19, our drive-thru window was such an advantage because customers could safely purchase donuts and coffee from us. In fact, during those toughest COVID months in the spring of 2020, several drive-thru customers told us that we were the only people they had seen in weeks.”
In addition to her love of baked goods, Snyder is quite the fan of Columbia.
“The people of Columbia make it a point to support local businesses, and I do the same,” she says. “I’ve been fortunate to see Sweet Bakes continue to grow over the years, and I love being in the business of making old-fashioned donuts. Nothing beats a fresh cake donut.”