Wendy's Baking Creations celebrates grand opening

<p class="p1">COULTERVILLE -- The talent was evident at an early age for Wendy Sizemore.

<p class="p1">Sizemore and her business, Wendy's Baking Creations, celebrated their grand opening on Saturday in Coulterville.

<p class="p1">"I sold my first birthday cake when I was 13," Sizemore said. "And I was elated knowing that I could make money by baking a cake.

<p class="p1">"That's what my passion is. I love to bake, I love to create and this has been a dream of mine."

<p class="p1">Wendy's Baking Creations, located at 110 S. 5th St., specializes in cake pops, cupcakes, donuts, cinnamon rolls and other baked goods, in addition to cakes.

<p class="p1">"I have all different flavors, all different designs," Sizemore said. "I don't want to be the norm, I don't want to sell what Casey's sells.

<p class="p1">"I want to sell what I sell. I want to create new and exciting, not just a boring ol' chocolate cupcake."

<p class="p1">Sizemore and her husband, Danny, renovated two rooms in their building to open the business, which has been in operation since June 1. Wendy Sizemore said the grand opening was delayed due to a family vacation.

<p class="p1">"A lot of it comes from Google images or insight from my customers," Wendy Sizemore said on where her inspiration comes from. "I'll have people text me on Facebook or come in the shop and say 'Oh, do you make this? Do you have this?' and so then I have to find recipes and yes, I make that."

<p class="p1">Sizemore said her first cake was a simple vanilla cake with chocolate frosting that she made for her eighth grade science teacher's wife.

<p class="p1">"I was just elated," Sizemore said. "My mom said I could charge $5 for it and he gave me a $5 tip. I was flying high."

<p class="p1">Sizemore said she also makes birthday cakes, wedding cakes and retirement cakes.

<p class="p1">"That side of the business is really, really good," she said of the special occasion cakes. "A lot more weekend business."

<p class="p1">Sizemore was asked what trends she is seeing in birthday cake orders.

<p class="p1">"I've done a lot of 'Frozen,' a lot of 'Paw Patrol,' basically just the cartoon characters," she said. "A lot of Over the Hill too, everybody likes that black cake."

<p class="p1">Moving forward, Sizemore was asked the goals she has for the business.

<p class="p1">"I opened in a small town so I could be small-town convenient," she said. "This town had nothing, Sparta doesn't really have anything. Pinckneyville has a bakery, Marissa doesn't really have anything.

<p class="p1">"I've had people come in here at 6:30 to 7 o'clock in the morning to pick cakes up, I've had people come here on Sundays, that's what makes it convenient. I could be here 24/7."

<p class="p1">The business's official hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. Weekends by appointment.

<p class="p1">For more information, call 618-317-6487 or visit the business's Facebook page.