Opening literally days before the world turned upside down, J’s Sweet Treats and Wedding Cakes, 1540 Parsons Ave., is coming out of the pandemic not only surviving, but thriving.
This summer, the South Side bakery will head north, opening its second location inside Polaris Fashion Place, 1500 Polaris Pkwy. J’s Sweet Treats will occupy the space previously held by the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
Owner Juana Williams says the business had started to discuss the potential need for a second location when Polaris serendipitously reached out. She didn’t want J’s Sweet Treats to be in the food court, and instead negotiated for a space right outside of sporting and entertainment anchor FieldhouseUSA.
The new Polaris location puts J’s Sweet Treats in easy access to a whole new customer base – though many have already shown interest in the bakery.
Williams says one of the things she found herself saying ‘no’ to frequently over the last year was deliveries on the north side, from Powell to Lewis Center.
“They want to patronize us, they want to support us,” Williams says. However, facing the logistics of a small crew, it just wasn’t feasible to make long-haul deliveries for smaller orders.
The placement at Polaris will not only provide foot traffic from mall patrons, but an easy pick-up point for customers in the area – one that will always have ample parking. The bakery will also offer some limited delivery from the new location.
As far as the namesake sweet treats, the Parsons location will handle most of the custom and 3D cake orders, while Polaris will have more case-cake selections.
Truffles, dipped fruits and extreme milkshakes will be daily treats at Polaris, with those offerings being more special-order items at Parsons. At both locations every day there will be cookies, brownies, cupcakes, dipped pretzels and more.
J’s Sweet Treats is aiming for a July opening at Polaris, giving the bakery two storefronts within a roughly year-and-a-half span.
Williams credits both her faith and business savvy for not only getting the business through the pandemic, but to a point where the bakery can expand. While the year has had its ups and downs, Williams says she tried to be smart about both offerings and pricing, and strategic in rolling out new products. Staying on top of expenses and making sure to never waste product also kept the business going.
She’s grateful for the love and support the community has shown, and looks forward to continuing to offer sweets to the loyal supporters the South Side location has amassed.
When it opens, J’s Sweet Treats Polaris will be open for standard mall hours. The Parsons bakery is currently open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
For more information, visit jssweettreats.net.