By LEIGH FLYNN DOTY, Rapides Parish Journal
As the holiday shopping season enters its busiest time, small business owners find themselves in a peculiar situation. Trends toward shopping from online shops or from big box stores have definitely impacted small businesses, and this year is no different. But local shop owners, such as Carrie Weaver Harrington, believe that it is more important than ever to support the small businesses.
“We have to support the ‘little guy’,” Harrington said, as she sat for a few moments inside her Sweet Delta Bakery & Coffee Shop in Woodworth. “It is definitely important now, in this economy.”
Harrington opened her shop in February of this year, but she is no stranger to the community. She has baked cakes and goodies for friends, family, and several people in the central Louisiana area in her years as a cottage bakery owner.
“I started baking after my first daughter came along,” she said. That daughter will soon enter her teenage years. “I have always been the super-extra party planner, so I thought I would start baking my daughters’ cakes, and it just took off from there.”
For years, she baked and decorated mostly cakes and cookies, while continuing to work full-time in the medical profession. Five years ago, she branched out and offered a “Christmas tin” package, which included lots of assorted candies and other goodies.
The Christmas tins were, and continue to be, a big hit. Harrington recalls one particular Christmas when she was responsible for assembling and shipping (or delivering) more than 400 of the tins to places throughout the United States. Holiday gift baskets range in size and price, but they are still available for this Christmas season.
Over the next few years, Harrington began facing some medical issues. She and her husband, Jordan, decided they wanted to put down roots, and shift their focus. It was then they found themselves driving through Woodworth, looking at opportunities.
The former dollar store was available, but Harrington said she knew she did not want or need the entire space. Around the same time, the family was driving around the area and came across a new home being constructed. She said her husband approached the builder, asking if it was for sale. The home was being built for a family member, but she had since decided not to move there, so they bought their home.
Not long afterward, the realtor contacted Harrington again, saying they were subdividing the space, if she was still interested. The Harringtons took their time in making space just right, which meant looking to and supporting those around them.
Barn wood found throughout the shop is reclaimed from their family farm back home. Tables and chairs were found through local flea markets and customers. The walls are adorned with artwork by her cousin and another local artist, Amy Jo Betts. Everything in the shop says “community”, whether it’s the local community or the community from which Harrington hails.
The name of the shop is a tribute to her roots. “The (Mississippi) Delta is where I grew up. It’s where I was taught so many things which bring me joy, such as baking. It made me who I am.”
She said the shop has received tremendous support from the community, and she believes in returning that favor. The coffee served at the shop is from a start-up roaster in Shreveport (Black Bayou Roasters). She uses local honey and local products whenever possible.
“We seek out the small shops,” she said. “If we can, we shop local … or as local as we can get. If we want to continue to have the things we love, we have to support our friends and families.”
Sweet Delta not only serves a variety of coffees, but they have lemonades, fizzy lemonades, pastries, cookies, brownies, and her famous “cruffins”. Even the names of the products are a tribute to the community – The Delta, The Blues, and The Grizzly. They even bake cakes for customers’ furry babies, and they usually have homemade dog treats as well.
Harrington and Sweet Delta Bakery & Coffee Shop were among a handful of the 300 new businesses that opened in central Louisiana this year to be nominated for best new business by the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce.
“I wanted to create a place that was fun, that was unique,” she said. “It is a place for people to escape, if they want, but it has allowed me to be even closer to my family, even with the long hours.”
“I am just thankful for the support of the community,” she said. “I love being here, where friends have become family, and we can be involved in and support our daughters’ school and our community.”
Sweet Delta Bakery & Coffee Shop is located at 9394 US Hwy 165, Suite A in Woodworth. It is currently open from 6:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7 a.m. until noon on Saturdays. It can be reached on Facebook or by calling 318-269-1100 or by email at sweetdeltabakery@gmail.com.