A loan helped a mom-owned home bakery upgrade equipment to fulfill larger orders.


Elaine's story

I'm a professional artist who came to open a cake shop in a roundabout way. Prior to launching Sweet & Shiny, I was a glassblowing instructor for New York University, Long Island University, and UrbanGlass Studio. In 2009 when I was pregnant with my first child, I could no longer take the extreme heat of the glassblowing lab, so I started sculpting with sugar, and my passion for creative design was suddenly transferred to a new medium: celebration cakes.

I quickly outgrew my first home-based bakery and opened a walk-up cafe in Bushwick, Brooklyn. A few years later, with child number 2 on the way, my partner and I decided to move to my hometown of Columbus, OH to slow down the pace of life and have more time for family. After taking some time off to settle into our new home, I got a license to open a home-based bakery in Columbus and began a new chapter with Sweet & Shiny. My business has been growing steadily over the past few years, so I'm applying for this loan to purchase a commercial oven and other equipment that will allow me to fulfill larger orders to increase my revenue and profits.

My long-term goal is to save enough money to purchase a commercial kitchen so I can move Sweet & Shiny out of my home and have more space to mentor high school students and hold cake and cookie decorating workshops on-site. A Kiva loan will help me to fulfill my dream of combining my art with my passion for teaching, mentoring, and building community.


This loan is special because:

It supports a female entrepreneur in expanding their business.



Loan details


About Sweet & Shiny

Industry: Food
Years in operation: 3 years - 5 years
Website: sweetandshiny.com

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Loan details