“ When I got to be 19 , I said , ‘ Mom , I need to either quit or go bigger ,’ ” Brogan recalled , explaining that she felt like her business needed either to stop or expand beyond Mom ’ s kitchen . The choice wasn ’ t difficult . Kenzie ’ s Kakes would make its home in the School of Harmony for the next two years , but it quickly outgrew the small kitchen in the former junior high school shared by multiple businesses and the supportive church her family attends . “ Everybody at church and at School of Harmony was such a helpful hand and very appreciated ,” she says . “ We just couldn ’ t fit any more people in there . Or ovens . It was getting pretty chaotic .” After knocking out a few walls , putting in a new floor , adding a new ceiling , brightening things up , adding furniture and fixtures , and decorating the interior with the same attention to detail she gives her baked goods , Kenzie ’ s Kakes and Coffee moved into what many locals will remember as a former location of Holley-Day Grooming . “ This is a big jump for all of us ,” Brogan says , pointing out her staff of 13 and noting the support of friends and church family throughout her business journey . “ Everyone has been so supportive and so sweet .” The same kind of hard work that Brogan applied to her balance of schoolwork and business is evident inside her new location . Through a glass window , customers can watch the newest creations taking form on tables beside stacks of ovens and shelves of stand mixers , retro-style microwaves , kitchen gadgets and ingredients galore . ( On this particular morning , it ’ s a mermaid-themed birthday cake .) Dozens of fresh cupcakes , brownies , cookies , and even a few small , round chocolate and almond cakes await walk-in business on racks behind cool glass , their colorful icing complementing the soft pink and turquoise surroundings in the completely remodeled building . Across the room , baristas adorn hot and cold coffee drinks with edible bling . And by the door , Bowman — still by her daughter ’ s side — answers the phone , taking down orders for more cupcakes from behind a desk that ’ s decorated just as charmingly as the treats sold there .
40 ❖ SOUTH ❖ JANUARY - FEBRUARY ' 22