By LEIGH FLYNN DOTY
I am going to come right out and say it. Some businesses are just easier to promote than others. Due to the nature of their business, it seems some almost promote themselves effortlessly, while, for others, it is more of a struggle.
When I was asked to begin featuring local businesses for the Rapides Parish Journal, I gladly accepted the challenge. Many of our local, small businesses do not have large advertising budgets, so they rely heavily on social media and word of mouth advertising. Bringing the stories of how local residents have identified a need and have invested their time, talents, and futures into this community is truly heartwarming.
There are so many good, unique stories to tell. I hope I can share many more with you. If you have a business that you feel may need some local love, let me know!
One of the first businesses we brainstormed brought together two unlikely strangers who, while training for a triathlon, found that they had more in common than they originally thought.
Long training sessions can be grueling, but when you find someone who shares another interest with you, it provides a great distraction. In the case of Robyn Schwartz and Bridget Vaughn, that commonality happened to be cupcakes.
The two discovered a shared passion for baking, but, as they put it, there was no way they could have predicted where those conversations would eventually lead.
Now, more than a dozen years (and many, many dozen cupcakes) later, their determination, perseverance, faith, and friends, have not only helped make Little Cakes with Big Attitude a local “go to” for sweet treats; those qualities have also helped bring these two through some of the most difficult of circumstances, many of which have occurred in the past year alone.
The inexplicable grief of senselessly losing a daughter, the establishment of a non-profit organization in her memory, and the inaugural “LV5K” set for this Saturday are all demonstrative of the outpouring of love and support that continues to envelop the Little Cakes family.
Although the original goal for the 5K was 250 participants, more than 650 had signed up by mid-week to participate in the event. The 5K and 1 mile walk/run is a fundraiser for the Lauren Vaughn Memorial Scholarship that was established at Northwestern State University to benefit future nurses in the Accelerated BS to BSN program and to raise awareness of the dangers of drunk and impaired driving.
In the midst of their grief, the partners opened a second location at 2965A Monroe Highway in Pineville. Again, the outpouring of support helped to sustain these two.
Customers love their uniquely shaped cupcakes, their cupcake shakes, homemade “pop tarts” and other breakfast items, coffees, their paleo and keto items, and so many other specialty items. They offer a variety of flavors, including specialty flavors of the month.
Although their formative days of being on the road, participating in vendor events such as Junior League trade shows, are behind them, Vaughn and Schwartz continue to be extremely involved in community events.
Vaughn, who celebrated a birthday this week, is actually a finalist for the inaugural Spirit of Sara Simmonds Award being presented by the Junior League of Alexandria during its Empowerment Breakfast in mid-April. In promoting the event, the Junior League’s Facebook page describes the award as such: “The Spirit of Sara Simmonds Award embodies the very essence of dedication and compassion.”
Nominees were described as having made a difference in the community by “demonstrating unparalleled commitment to service, leadership, and the collective betterment of our community.”
Little Cakes with Big Attitude’s Alexandria location, at 4120 Jackson Street, is open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The Pineville location is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Holidays may affect the hours of operation.
Contact Leigh at leighf31@yahoo.com