Custom cake studio Sweet Heather Anne to open near downtown Ann Arbor

Kickstarter-funded Sweet Heather Anne, a custom cake studio, will be opening a storefront just north of downtown Ann Arbor in late April. After renting commercial kitchen space on Ann Arbor's west side for nearly two years, the baker has just moved to 920 N. Main Street.

Owner Heather Anne Leavitt, who worked with Courtney Clark of Cake Nouveau on a series of Food Network Challenges, raised $8,000 on Kickstarter, a web-based funding venue for creative projects, to fund kitchen equipment at the new space.

The studio uses ingredients sourced from nearby. Leavitt, a U-M Art School graduate, says the company was founded on "a passion for art and a passion for local foods."

Leavitt chose the 1,400-square-foot space on N. Main because "The bulk of our work is custom orders. And so we wanted a really nice place where people can come and do tastings for weddings and find out about us, but we didn't want to be right downtown without parking, where we would need to do a lot of storefront activity, as far as being open every day and selling pastries."

She points to the property's location near the Ann Arbor Farmers' Market as an advantage.

Leavitt plans to open the storefront to the public on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, in conjunction with the farmers' market. Cookies, brownies, and other pastries such as simple butter cream cakes will be available for pick-up.

Besides Leavitt, the studio employs a business manager and a decorator. Classes ranging from cookie decorating to fondant techniques will be held in the kitchen during the slower late fall and winter seasons.

A grand opening is set for Saturday, April 21 from 12-5 p.m.

Source: Heather Anne Leavitt, owner, Sweet Heather Anne
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar