Bella Christie & Lil’ Z’s Sweet Boutique’s
second location offers interactive
dessert stations that can satisfy any
type of sweet craving.
By Nicole Tafe
“E
very day is a sweet day at
Bella Christie & Lil’ Z’s Sweet
Boutique!” say sisters Kristin
Lewis-Smith and Kadee Lewis. As one
of Pittsburgh’s treasured boutiques, Bella
Christie & Lil’ Z’s offers something unique
and delectable that will tantalize the taste
buds of anyone whose favorite part of a meal
is dessert. This fall, the booming business
continues to cultivate its second location
in Lawrenceville with unique interactive
dessert offerings.
“We opened our second location several
years ago when the opportunity presented
itself,” recalls Lewis-Smith.
Dozen Bake Shoppe—which had been
open in that location for several years—was
closing its doors and looking for someone
to take over the existing lease. At the time,
Bella Christie’s business was growing rapidly
and the sisters found the Aspinwall shop
bursting at the seams, in need of space to
expand.
“Instead of relocating to one larger
location, we decided to essentially split the
bakery into two,” explains Lewis-Smith.
“Our Aspinwall location continued to craft
our delicious dessert items and our cake
wizards continued to sculpt and design their
beautiful creations—only now they had
more room to do so. We moved our candy
making, chocolate dipping and decorated
cookie production to our new location in
Lawrenceville.”
Alexa Smith mixes ice cream on
a cold slab as part of the Liquid
Nitrogen Ice Cream station,
where ice cream is flash frozen
and placed on a slab to mix in
the customer’s choice of just
about any topping.
Bella Christie’s was
initially started by Lewis-
Smith about 12 years
ago. At that time, the
home-based business was
small and specialized in
decorated cookies and
bakery bars as well as
cookies produced for
private and wholesale
clients. Growing up,
Lewis-Smith would spend
countless summers “down
south” apprenticing with
her grandmother—a
master “southern” baker
and candy maker. With
her grandmother’s
influence, she fostered a
love for baking and candy making, and when
her children were very young, she decided to
delve into a business of her own that quickly
became a success.
About four years later, Lewis-Smith and
her sister, Kadee Lewis, joined forces to
expand the business to create the shop that
exists today. Lewis, a personal trainer and
gym owner in Aspinwall, pushed her sister
to expand her talents and encouraged her to
tackle new items like fondant and wedding
cakes.
As the business took off, an actual
storefront, more space and a staff became a
reality for the Lewis sisters. “Kadee is really
creative when it comes to the design of
the shops and has created a whimsical, fun
storefront that really matches the personality
of the desserts we create,” says Lewis-Smith.
“The name of our bakery is inspired by our
three daughters: Isabella (Bella) Smith, Alexa
(Christie) Smith and Zoe Skirboll (Lil’ Z).”
Bella Christie’s two locations are only
four miles apart, but they are very different
from each other. “The new location gave us a
chance to express ourselves with new design
ideas,” adds Lewis-Smith. “It took on a rustic
chic tone, with wood floors handcrafted from
recycled wood pallets and a front counter
space that utilizes 100-year-old barn wood.
Wood tables and ladders from the turn of
the century mix with silver and gold stands
dripping with crystals. We wanted the decor
to match the vibe of the neighborhood!”
While the sisters’ initial intention was
to solve their space issue, they found that
the new location also brought the boutique
clients from different areas around Pittsburgh.
“There were definitely growing pains with
splitting the bakery into two locations,”
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Plum | Fall 2017 | icmags.com 17