Like so many of us, when COVID-19 changed the world last year, Lisa Keehn was in limbo. Her work as a dental assistant was on hold. She was at home, all the time.
So, what to do? She started a cupcake business. And, within a year, the Buttercream Boutique has become so popular, that orders for May are almost already booked, and June is filling up fast, too.
“It’s wedding season,” Keehn says.
As for the old day job? “I haven’t looked back,” she says. “I quit my job a month later.”
What Keehn does is make intricate floral-themed arrangements using her cake decorating skills. The cupcakes really do look like bouquets. They can be bright or subdued.
How did she transform into a big-time baker and decorator? When she had time at home, Keehn participated in a series of online tutorials about how to decorate cupcakes. She decided to start offering them on a small-scale basis — and the response has been overwhelming. As for the cake itself, she’s not reinventing the wheel; it took her about a month to come up with chocolate and vanilla recipes that made her happy.
She’s been so busy, she hasn’t had time to plan a website. She’s got a Facebook page. Customers make their orders — and remember, these orders need to be made weeks in advance — and then come by Keehn’s home to pick them up.
With some of the designs being so ornate, it can take her hours to decorate a cupcake “bouquet.” Her husband, Darren, helps prep ingredients and makes the buttercream. It’s a lot of work — a home-based business that has taken off.
“But it really makes my day when people come to pick up their orders and I see their smiles,” she says. “Or, they post pictures of them. Especially in these hard times, it really makes it worth it.”
