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    Goodies Galore Named 2014 KickStart Columbus Winner

    Downtown residents and workers will soon be able to satisfy their sugar cravings at Goodies Galore, a bakery specializing in cupcakes and cakes. Goodies Galore won free retail space for a year at 267 S. Third St. through the KickStart Columbus competition. The award also includes reduced rent the following two years as the business gains traction.

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    With close proximity to the Commons and a rapidly developing residential area, Goodies Galore owners Angelo and Jamila Byers believe they are ideally situated to contribute to the growth of the area.

    “We are going to try and capture the foot traffic of the residential areas that are rapidly growing especially southeast of the retail space,” Angelo says. They plan to open the doors mid to late November.

    Goodies Galore already has a successful online presence preparing ornate cakes and cupcake configurations for events. Their mainstay product is a beautiful cupcake rose bouquet than can feature colors of everything from a favorite NFL team or company logo.

    Goodies Galore

    Angelo developed his passion for baking at a young age guided by his mother. He has since taken classes and continued to test his creations on family and friends.

    The hobby became a business when Angelo posted his first cupcake bouquet for a family birthday party on Facebook. Within 24 hours he had his first online order and the couple had to rapidly determine pricing and flavor offerings. The orders kept coming and in the first weekend, Goodies Galore had $500 worth of sales.

    The Byers decided to apply for the KickStart space when they heard about the 2013 KickStart winner Aisha Echols of Sweet Simpliciteas who is a friend of a friend. They saw an opportunity to build upon their online presence with a unique twist to traditional way of selling cupcakes.

    Surprised by the limited cupcake options in local bakeries, Jamila came up with the idea of offering people the chance to cater their cupcake to their individual tastes with a “Create Your Own” cupcake bar. The cupcake bar will offer cake bases ranging from sweet & salted caramel to standard flavors like vanilla and chocolate, as well as a variety of fillings and toppings. They also plan to use the South Third Street suite to host parties and cupcake tasting events for people to gather, eat and enjoy the atmosphere.

    To meet the needs of their expanding customer base, Angelo and Jamila will use the services of ECDI’s Food Fort to prepare their food and store their inventory.

    “The Food Fort will be vital in our growth,” Angelo says. “They have the licensing, commercial kitchen, and storage we need for mass production.”

    The couple is already planning on giving back to the community by offering internships to local high school students interested in the culinary arts. Angelo sees the internships as way to offer these students real world experience close to their school.

    The downtown market is conducive to their product as their unique creations make an easy gift and a great feature for corporate events. The retail location increases their accessibility to these prospective clients. In the Spring when foot traffic increases and the Commons draws people to events, Goodies Galore expects to be out in the downtown community with a mobile cart alerting people to the great treats they can find just around the corner.

    For more information, visit goodiesgaloreohio.com.

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