Moore County isn’t the only place experiencing growth. Downtown Raeford has also been mixing it up with new experiences. Full service bakery Kayla Renee Cakes has made business seem like a piece of cake — so much so, that it is expanding to a larger space this weekend. The current location has been dishing out sweets since March 2022 but the already small shop has outgrown its walls.
Kayla is originally from Raeford and began an at-home baking business when she was 14. She graduated in 2019 from Sandhills Community College’s baking and pastry arts program and began doing pop-up markets like Pop Up in the Pines before opening her own brick and mortar. Now the SCC program brings a class by the shop once a year to show students what is possible.
Kayla says she was a little worried at first about opening her own space in Raeford. “I was stepping into the unknown,” she says. Now she estimates she sees around 100 customers a day, which was a lot for her initial space, at around 800 square feet. Her new space, right across the street, will be 2,000 square feet and have seating for guests plus more kitchen space.
“I think us opening a bigger space in Raeford opens a doorway for other people to see what you can do here,” says Kayla. “I never thought we would be as busy as we are.” As for the old space, Kayla isn’t sure what will become of it when she fully moves out.
The design of the bigger space is girly, like the first one, but Kayla says her vision board included “Parisian and Renaissance but still cozy.” That seems fitting for Raeford, which is experiencing its own renaissance of sorts downtown.
Kayla says oatmeal cream pies are best sellers, but her personal favorite are the cinnamon rolls that are available Saturdays only. The menu changes monthly and you can also order coffee, lattes, red bull chargers and dirty sodas.
“I hope people can make memories in the shop,” she says. “I also feel like there’s not many places for teenagers to hang out in Raeford either. So hopefully this can be one.”
The grand opening is Saturday, Feb. 1, where the first 20 customers receive swag bags and you’ll find specialty treats and merch. Find it at 122 N. Main Street, Raeford. Sweeten your feed by following Kayla Renee Cakes on Instagram.
