What’s in a name? For Shelli Carter of Carter’s Sugar Shop, it’s taste, freshness, attention to detail and – ultimately – happiness. 

Carter seven years ago founded her namesake bakery, which recently reopened at 28 N. Chadbourne (nestled, ironically enough, between two gyms). The Downtown bakery will have limited seating and can accommodate walk-in traffic. In addition to taking orders for the delectable artisan cakes and cookies for which the Carter name has become locally synonymous, Carter’s Sugar Shop offers ready-made cakes and cookies; vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free desserts; small plate catering; and grab-and-go sandwiches and salads with vegetarian, vegan and organic options. 

“My name’s on the door,” Carter said during an interview with Create Magazine just weeks prior to the bakery’s opening. “I have the belief that your last name should mean something. I think we should honor those who came before us because they’re started the foundation for our future.”

The bubbly blonde and mother of six grown children, Carter was raised by her grandparents on a farm in Eola. Her grandmother baked, and when she passed away of Alzheimer’s disease, Carter wanted to honor her memory. “I started out making chocolate truffles,” she said. “A lady asked me to do a wedding cake. I’d never done a wedding cake, and it turned out great. When friends and family really had a faith and belief that I was doing something I love that other people loved, I knew this was something I was supposed to do.” 

For the first couple of years, Carter had a storefront near Academy that she operated in partnership with a Sonora catering company. When the company moved back to Sonora, she converted an apartment adjacent to her home into a commercial kitchen and worked as a private pastry chef until this year, when she felt she had outgrown those limitations. More than double the size of her apartment, the space was once a bus transit. In a way, the building still serves as a stop in a journey – but of a different sort.

“My business tagline is Carter’s Sugar Shop, Celebrating Life’s Little Adventures,” Carter said. “If you’ve ever planned a wedding or birthday party, it’s an absolute adventure. I feel like I’m part of somebody else’s celebration. I have customers who I’ve baked their wedding cake and then their baby’s first birthday cake.” 

I think we should honor those who came before us because they've started the foundation for our future - Shelli Carter

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Cakes and desserts mark happy milestones in people’s lives, Carter said, adding that she’s never seen a cake at a funeral. “It is happiness,” she said. “You cannot be mad or sad or angry at the world when you’re eating cake.” Baking, and providing a product that customers take delight in, is the perfect job for Carter. “I’m a happy, positive person,” she said. “I could not imagine doing something that did not provide joy to other people.” 

Her decorated sugar cookies and custom cakes have a look unique to Carter’s Sugar Shop. Scrolling through photos on her phone, she paused periodically to point out her favorite creations, including a three-dimensional white and gold three-tiered birthday cake complete with a rainbow and unicorn. Another swipe at the screen revealed sugar cookies in the shape of llamas, each adorned with a colorful icing saddle and detailed floral headpiece. “Look, they have little glasses on!” she crowed.

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Customers need only provide Carter with a photograph and she can take care of the rest. “I’m going to give you exactly what you want, baked fresh,” she said. “If it’s not a cake I feel confident about going out the door, I’ll stay up all night making sure it is.” 

The finished product is proof that Carter loves her work – and so is her beaming face when she talks about it. “I put a lot of happiness into my cakes,” she said, then added with a laugh, “And probably a lot of bad singing as well.”  

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