Meet Bev’s Cake and Candy Supplies, Inc.
- Location: 881 3rd St. C-5 Rear, Whitehall, Pa.
- Year Founded: 1997
- Owner: Beverly Ann Smith
- Years as X2PS Client: 2 years
- Favorite thing about X2PS: Fast and Reliable Customer Service
The Entrepreneur on #OwningIt:
“I rub elbows with a lot of great people, and it’s always a good taste in their mouths when they leave Bev’s.“ —Beverly Ann Smith, Owner
WHITEHALL, PA —As children, we’re all asked the quintessential question: what do you want to be when you grow up? And as we get older, we trade in our childhood answers of princesses and pirates for new dream jobs, like movie stars and professional athletes. While some of us are still working towards those ideal careers, Beverly Ann Smith has made her dream a reality with Bev’s Cake and Candy Supplies.
“It was [started] on a whim! I decided to open up a little shop while I worked full time as well.”
Though her first love is making sweets, Smith didn’t always live the Willy Wonka life she does today. It was twenty-one years ago when she set out to make those dreams a reality, and since then Bev’s Cake and Candy Supplies has blossomed into the sprinkles and frosting wonderland that it is today.
“It blossomed each year, and more and more people knew of me,” Smith says “And that’s where my sweet adventure started.”
Bev’s Cake and Candy Supplies is not only a place to purchase some of Smiths delicious snacks and stock up on all your baking needs, it’s also where people with wild baking imaginations go to bring their ideas to life.
“A lot of people come to Bev’s because they need ideas; they need help doing their sweet adventures! If I don’t have what they’re looking for, I make sure that they walk out with somethings that will accommodate what their trying to do.”
The staff enjoys assisting customers in gathering everything they need for their DIY baking projects. Customers remark that Bev’s Cake and Candy Supplies is an affordable alternative to the supplies available at craft stores, making it easy to turn their baking dreams into a reality.
“It saves money because it’s DIY, and now that everyone is cutting down, they want to do things themselves,” Smith says, adding, “There’s Michaels and AC Moores around me but that doesn’t bother me.”
In addition to helping customers with personal projects, the store holds classes to teach their creative customers how to make their own goodies from home! There are classes for all ages and interests.
“I do a lot of workshops and teach a lot of demos. … People come in for the knowledge because they have questions [about baking]. They can go online, but a lot of times it’s just more confusing.”
The classes were inspired by their customer’s thirst for DIY knowledge, and everything Bev’s Cake and Candy Supplies does, it does for its customers. Smith holds the belief that, aside from her talented staff, her shop’s greatest asset is their customers. She strives to make a trip to her store feel like a personal experience by maintaining relationships with her regulars and forging new friendships with walk-ins.
“You get a hello at my door, and we recognize our customers. I’m very blessed because I do feel my customers are who makes up Bev’s. There’s a lot of people that once they get to know about our shop and what we have to offer, they stay with us.”
The store and Smith herself foster a sense of community in their area, not only through their customer service and welcoming vibes, but by also contributing to local programs such as the SkillsUSA Competition and the Occupational Advisory Council through Lehigh Career & Technical Institute.
“[For SkillsUSA] I have judges that judge these students from the other vo-tech schools in the area and they compete in cake decorating and commercial baking. I’m involved in that as well as the OAC meetings where we help the LCTI be able to purchase supplies.”
As a woman that prides herself on the customer service of her business, Smith appreciates the level of attention and speed of response she receives from her Merchant Services.
“I decided to go with Capital Direct and X2 Payment Systems to save money. I’ve never had any issues [with Capital Direct and X2 Payment Systems]. Every time I call, I get an answer, but I rarely need to call. When I need it, they’re there.”
