There’s always a level of risk associated with the launch of a business. And making the leap from operating a home-based business to a brick-and-mortar location creates an entirely different set of challenges. But it can be done – and done well.

By Nate Paige

Photos by Robert Muller

March 24, 2024 marked the grand opening of the brick-and-mortar version of Lizzie’s Bakery, 16614 Chagrin Boulevard. The opening-day fanfare was the end result of a dream and a home business that launched three years prior. Owner Caroline Weingart has been baking for her family for years – and especially for her daughter, Lizzie, who, as a toddler, was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy.

“I always did extra baking for my daughter because of her allergy, and during her middle school years I did consider the possibility of starting a bakery because we couldn’t find any nut-free bakeries. It wasn’t until January 2021 that I went through my mom’s recipes and came across one for ginger molasses cookies, which was labeled ‘Caroline’s Favorite,’” says Weingart. She made them and shared them with several caregivers who commented on how much they enjoyed them.

She began researching nut-free bakeries and came across two local home-based businesses, but no actual store that offered a wide variety of items.

Lizzie’s Bakery is a 1,600-square-foot burst of light. Pastel blue and white walls brighten the space nearly as much as the large front windows. The shelves are adorned with vintage blue and white vases and platters that belonged to Weingart’s mother. On the far wall is a fun, illustrated map of Shaker Heights created by muralist Lari Jacobson.

Caroline Weingart, owner of Lizzie’s Bakery (right) taking a break with her son Ethan who oversees marketing and the bakery’s website and Kenardia Smith, a senior at Shaker Heights High School who works up front in the coffee shop on weekend

And in an environment without nuts, Lizzie’s Bakery offers an experience to those who routinely avoid bakeries. “Just walking into a bakery can trigger strong allergic reactions or even anaphylactic shock for some people. It’s nice for families to have a bakery to go to. That’s been really meaningful,” says Weingart.

Assisting Weingart in day-to-day operations is Kitchen Manager Rachel Diroll-Zack, a former Northeast Ohioan who relocated to Shaker in 2021 after 22 years in New Jersey. The women met when Weingart sought help while still operating the bakery out of her home.

“I was a stay-at-home mom, and Caroline needed help,” says Diroll-Zack. “When you run a business out of your house, things go a little crazy and you know where everything is, but nobody else does, so my job was to make it a little more organized.”

“Working at home was really nice at first,” says Weingart. “We have a double oven, and I could decorate sugar cookies late at night in my pajamas while listening to podcasts and audiobooks.”

Eventually the demands of a growing business revealed limitations in her at-home bakery. “At times my oven was running 24/7. Even though it was new at the time, the cooling element eventually gave out,” recalls Weingart. She quickly made calls to her neighborhood friends and set up a system of neighborhood ovens to finish her orders until her oven was back up and running. The Pivot

A series of baking and hospitality management courses at Tri-C followed, and eventually Weingart sold her wares at pop-up events at the Van Aken District, The Corner, and tables at the North Union Farmers Markets around the region. “Fridays before markets were the busiest times. I would prep recipes, bake, and pack up for the markets, often working late into the night. My son, Ethan, who was home from college in the summer, and my husband, Lee, would help package and heat-seal all the cookies and bars,” says Weingart.

In an environment without nuts, Lizzie’s Bakery offers an experience to those who routinely avoid bakeries.

When the possibility of a physical store arose, Weingart asked Diroll-Zack if she saw herself in the equation. Diroll-Zack told of her barista experience when she worked at Borders Books in New Jersey. “And I can manage people; I can run a coffee shop for you if that’s what you need. And she says, ‘that’s exactly what I need.’ So, I run the front end: making coffee, training staff, and greeting the customers. It’s a bit of a Gal Friday situation.”

“There has been a big learning curve transitioning to baking in the commercial kitchen and managing a bigger team,” says Weingart. “While I was familiar with the kitchen from my classes at the Tri-C Hospitality Management Program, we had to update recipes and adjust baking temperatures and times for the commercial and convection ovens.”

Currently, the bakery employs nine people, most being students. Weingart’s son Ethan handles the bakery newsletter and social media posts. One of her new bakers is Yuliia Vysotska who recently moved here with her family from Ukraine. Vysotska was a baker in Ukraine, and when she started looking for a job here, a mutual friend connected her with Weingart.

In earlier chapters of Weingart’s life, she attended law school at Case Western Reserve University and worked for a local law firm. For 25 years, she was a guide for Executive Arrangements – a company that helps individuals become acclimated to the city when they move to Cleveland for jobs.

In 1995 Weingart and her husband moved to Shaker Heights and raised their children Ned, Lizzie, and Ethan. According to Weingart, it was a no-brainer to open her business in Shaker.

“It’s our home. We chose to live here and raise our family here, and I wanted to open my business here. Ever since I’ve landed on this journey, this path, it’s just felt right,” says Weingart. “Being able to provide a service for families who have nut allergies is why I do it.”

For more information on Lizzie’s Bakery, go to lizziesbakerynutfree.com

Around the corner from Lizzie’s Bakery is another business that recently made the leap from home-based to brick-and-mortar. Desired Designs, 3620 Lee Road, is a residential and commercial interior design firm owned and operated by Jakecia Durham. She has resided in Shaker since 2012 and launched her interior design business in 2009.

Durham’s dream was to open her business in a building on Lee Road. She’s always been a firm believer that opening a business in one’s residential city can enrich the community. But it took some time to get there.

“When I was working from home, I initially had a desk in my basement that soon turned into half of my basement being used for my home work studio,” says Durham. “I purchased additional storage for my material samples and a larger printer that allowed me to make prints for drawings and presentations. I also purchased additional screens and an adjustable height desk.

“The business has had a huge influx the past few years. I hired more staff which takes time getting used to – learning how to delegate tasks. It’s a work in progress,” says Durham.

Initially, she settled into a co-working space in Beachwood. But the team continued to grow. Durham remembers how they’d repurpose space for presentations and then reset back to office space. Eventually they grew out of the co-working space. Her dream of living and working in the same neighborhood drove her to commit to Shaker office space for the next move.

Just the Right Space

Her husband Cameron, who works for Shaker Schools, is a friend of Matt Wright, owner of MWW1 Engineering and Prototype Services, which is housed in the rear section of the building Desired Designs now occupies. Wright offered her a lease for the front space. Like Lizzie’s Bakery, windows play a large part in the new Desired Designs work space, a former car dealership. In fact, three of her four ‘walls’ are windows.

Her staff is currently an office manager and two design assistants.

“Our current location now answers our need for space for our team and a space to present to our clients,” says Durham. “We have ample natural light and space for samples which is critical. The icing on the cake for me is being able to work and live in the Moreland neighborhood again, but not confined to my basement.”

Our current location now answers our need for space for our team and a space to present to our clients.

Throughout her career, Durham has given back, sharing her wisdom with up-and-comers by teaching interior design courses at Tri-C, and currently, Kent State University. “Both of my parents are educators, so teaching kind of runs in the family, and I really enjoy it.”

Many Shaker parents have seen Durham’s work in the Innovation Labs she designed for Woodbury, Lomond, and Boulevard schools.

“I was introduced to interior design by my high school art teacher, and at the time, I had no idea what an interior designer was,” says Durham. “Most of my classes were in art, but once my teacher mentioned interior design, I researched it, and I never looked back.”

While Durham’s forté is interior and commercial design, she says her most challenging design project to date is probably the one she’s currently working on: the first freestanding birthing center in Ohio.

“It’s not challenging because of its difficulty, but the project has come up against a lot of adversity – because of where it’s located and what it means to the people who will utilize it. This is an important project to me because I am really invested in making sure that we provide a space that all people – especially the brown and black people they will serve – will have a positive and safe experience,” says Durham, a mother of three.

A Presence in Her Community

When Durham realized that growing her business meant moving to a new office space, she was determined that this move would be an investment in her community – even if it meant waiting for the perfect space. “This community has so much potential,” says Durham. Her advice to those making a similar move? “Stay true to what you want. I wanted to be here and just because it didn’t work out the first few times I tried, I kept looking. Now I’m in a space where I can grow my business and my community at the same time – all while developing richer bonds.”

For more information on Desired Designs, go to desired-designs.com.