The Sugar House, Fairhope

Linda and I attended Arbor Day in Fairhope at Coastal Community College a few weeks ago. We had parked across the street in front of the Sugar House, and it was the first time I had ever noticed it. We poked our heads in and found the owner, Brittney Hill, hard at work. Yet it was the cupcakes in the display case that got my attention… a beautiful array with a sign on the wall that said, “Custom Cakes Orders Booked thru June.” That was interesting.

I returned a few days later and visited with Brittney to learn more about this shop that I never knew existed. Brittney grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and lived in Jacksonville for two years. She always wanted to go to culinary school, but with life’s curveballs, it wasn’t to be.

“Every job I had growing up had to do with food, and then I found myself working at a bank as a teller for a while and hated it,” she said. One day she made some lemon cupcakes for a co-worker’s birthday, and they were a hit. A co-worker commented on how good they were and asked, “If you can do this, why would you work here?’

Brittney says her first thought was, “Not everyone can do this?” She realized that not everyone could bake. She had a talent! Knowing she was miserable at her job, her husband asked, “What is it you want to do?” “She replied, “I want to stay home and make cupcakes all day.” So, do it,” he said.

She started investigating Baldwin County to see how much competition was already in the market, and there really wasn’t much at the time. She decided to go for it. In 2017, with a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old, they bought a home, and she received her Alabama Cottage Law license that allowed her to bake from her home kitchen. “It’s a fairly relaxed process, so it’s good for home bakers,” she says.

“I knew if I was going to be successful, I had to go all-in, one hundred percent.” She says she watched “endless amounts of videos on how to bake cakes.”  At first, it was all word of mouth, with most orders coming from family and friends. With a growing family and a growing business, the Hills purchased a bigger house. 

Brittney began looking for a commercial space to grow her business and found her present location was available for lease. “I wanted to wait until my youngest was in school before moving my business from home.” A year later, the space was still available, and she made the commitment. “I wasn’t as nervous as I should have been because I knew I had clients who would continue to support me, but I never imagined it would take off as it did.”

She had all of two weeks to make the transition. “I cried a lot that first week. I still had orders to prepare, I didn’t know how many cupcakes to make, and it got really busy immediately. I learned really quickly!” She says she’s not afraid of hard work, but baking is insanely hard work and can be mentally and physically exhausting.

Sugar House opened in September 2020, right at the height of the pandemic. “At first, cakes were smaller because not as many people were at gatherings.” Then things exploded. “People were over Covid and wanted to get together again.” Weddings started happening again, and the cakes got bigger.

After a year, she started upgrading equipment as orders began increasing. She makes a minimum of ten custom cakes each week, but usually, it’s 15 to 20 cakes. She claims to have always had an artistic bent. She thought, “Hey, I’m pretty good at this,” but didn’t consider she would ever be doing it for a living. 

She practiced decorating cakes and copying images. People bring in photos for her to recreate. “I put my personal spin so each cake is unique. I draw inspiration from the photos and go from there.” There are lots of 3-dimensional elements in creating animals, popcorn boxes, and pirate ships. Flowers are hard and very time-consuming. “I prefer to use fresh flowers on wedding cakes, and they match perfectly with the bride’s decor,” she says.

Seventy-five percent of the cakes she makes are custom cakes, and it's best to order early, like four months out. “I can make a 5-tiered wedding cake faster than a 2-tiered custom cake because there is so much detail and fondant work, which is the 100% edible ingredients that make the icing and can be molded like playdough for decorating.

Brittney says that wedding seasons have moved more to cooler months in the Spring and Fall, which bodes well for her wedding cakes. “I deliver my cakes fully assembled an hour and a half to an hour before the event so they are as fresh and intact as possible. My husband, David, helps deliver and has gotten pretty good at it. They are heavy!”

Brittney is pretty much a one-person show. She keeps short hours so she can see her children off to school each morning and be there when they get home… most days. She has some ladies that help her sell cupcakes while she bakes, and David is a big supporter. “It’s very hard to find help. Cake decorating is a lost art that requires practice and patience- You can’t just wing it.” 

“We would love to expand one day, there’s really only enough room for two people in the kitchen,” she says. How many cakes do you bake in a year, I asked. “I don’t want to count, it would make me tired.” She says she is still working on visibility for the store. “So many people, like you, stop in and say, “I didn’t even know you were here.” 

Sugar House was nominated for the Nappie Award for Best Wedding Cake the first year they were open. They won the award in 2022. ”I didn’t even know we were nominated, but I appreciate the recognition!”

What are your best sellers? “We sell a lot of cupcakes. A minimum of 12 dozen a day, but 15 dozen on Fridays and Saturdays. I can attest they are delicious. Special orders for cupcakes can usually be ready with 24-48 hours' notice. “Almond wedding and Strawberry cupcakes are hands down the best sellers.” 

Brittney says, “Cupcakes are fun. You can experiment with so many flavors and toppings.” Easter is the busiest week of the year for custom cakes and cupcakes, more so than Christmas. Valentine’s Day is big, as well as family holidays.  

So, after two and a half years in the shop, what does Brittney think about operating a business in Fairhope? “I think Fairhope is the toughest town to get rooted in,” she says. “So many great shops have been established for years, but I’m pretty happy where we are.” She goes on, “It’s weird. I met a florist the other day, and we agreed that we sometimes feel like impostors. We get to do what we love and make a living at it. IT FEELS LIKE ITS NOT REAL LIFE. It’s still a lot of work, but I love it.”

That’s great, Brittney. You are truly an inspiration!