A cake business which has been based on Norwich’s market since 2018 will soon be offering sweet-treats from its new shop.
But don’t worry, The Cuppie Hut will not be closing its stall.
Owners Melanie Abel and Kim Cooper will be expanding their business by offering their bakes from Norwich Market and the new shop – formerly Garner Hair – on St Giles Street.
It comes after a successful year for the business after only moving to a double stall back in September 2020.
Ms Abel, 53, said: “We need to expand because although we have moved to a double stall there still isn't enough a room – with two of us baking all day every day we just need more space.
“It’s literally just a stone's throw from where we are now, but we don’t want to leave the market. It's like our family and we would miss it too much.
“We will be baking cakes for the stall everyday as well as serving them from the shop.”
Despite the lockdowns, Ms Abel said demand for their cakes soared – with orders coming in from across the UK.
“Business has been doing really well,” she said. “During lockdown we had to drastically change the way we worked because we still baked from home. We worked harder than ever.
“Through lockdown it just went mad and we had to hire our village hall just to pack everything. By the second lockdown we had our double stall.”
The Cuppie Hut business was created by Ms Abel and Mrs Cooper, 48, from Hethersett, around eight years ago after they started doing bake sales for charity.
They then moved into a converted horsebox and traded on Tombland in Norwich, before moving to the market.
Looking back, Ms Abel said she can’t believe how far they have come.
“It’s unbelievable, it still hasn’t sunken in. It’s all falling into place," she said.
“We will concentrate on the market until Christmas, then we plan to get in in January have it fitted out and refurbed and plan on being open by February.
“We would like to a say a massive thank everybody who follows and support us. Without them none of this would happen. We love our job. It's not like going to work, we enjoy ourselves every day.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here