DALLAS, Pa. — Not long before Jane Henry opened the doors of Jane's Sugar Magnolia, her bakery on Main Street in Dallas in January of 2020, she had to close them.
'It was scary. we opened officially January 21. And then March 21 was when kind of the world shut down. So we were open for two months and then kind of had to rearrange some things and figure out what we were going to do," Henry recalled.
Henry says something they focused on was desserts for kids that were more than just a sugary treat.
'Offering interactive desserts is a really fun way to get kids involved and doing something, rather than just kind of hanging out at the house. So we'd like to be able to offer that type of dessert to get kids, you know, their imagination going and creating."
That includes things like "pizza my heart" Valentine's Day kits, with which children can make their own pizza sugar cookie. It's one of the most popular items this Valentine's Day—her busiest ever, especially compared to what the bakery put out last year.
"It's maybe a third of what we're doing this year. we've definitely seen a big increase in pre-orders and even foot traffic. I don't even know that you can compare them because it's like night and day.
Henry knows she's lucky to have found success when many other businesses have not during this time. She attributes part of her success to finding joy in the little things
"I think it's really just that people find happiness in food, especially baked goods, and the fact that they can bring them home and share them with family and friends. it's a nice treat for people, and it's fun for us to be able to provide that happiness to our customers."
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