what are you going to sell?

I have been having more and more conversations about this dream of mine and everytime I talk to guys I get a puzzled look and the following statement "what are you going to sell?"

It might be hard to imagine that this generation is embracing traditional values in a modern way. We aren't closed minded and uninterested in the world but we do want to make personal connections with friends, family, and community at large. We no longer want to "buy" our place in society but rather we want to earn it. We want our families to grow with some tradition that does not involve a quick trip through the drive through. Not everyone can be a Betty Crocker but everyone can bake something and that's what I am going to sell.

So many people think that the world is only going to be online and that everything is going to be bought and sold online exclusively but people like to feel connected and they are willing to pay a little more for some things to cover the expenses of the overhead that come with that connection. A real store, brick and mortar, provides a meeting place, allows you the opportunity to touch and taste and ask questions.

I decided that I really don't want to sell all the small appliances that go with baking (the kitchen aid mixers, the food processors, blendors etc) they can all be bought online or at mass retail outlets and while I will have them in the store and reference them on the website it just doesn't make sense to sell them. I want to see the ingredients and tools used to bake. Cookbooks, interesting tools, chocolate, extracts, flours, sugars, fancy things, basic things, some hardware.. I want to keep the prices reasonable but in reality there will be items in the store at every price point. My goal is to never have anyone leave the store without at least buying something.

But most importantly.. what I am selling is that old fashioned connection with a modern assist. No online store but certainly an online community.

What's love got to do with it?

This dream to open a store, my store, all started with something and that was a love of baking from the home and heart. I have yet to meet anyone who isn't in love with this idea and while I know that doesn't mean my store will automatically be successful, I am confident that it means I have tapped into something at the right time.

Figuring out where to get the money is hard, I would love to just get this store up and running and dedicate all my time to it while still on unemployment. Trust me, I know that sounds horrible and very much away from my normal conservative roots but sometimes I think that timing is everything.

Since the whole impetus for this venture is my love of baking I thought I would share some recipes and pictures along the way. This weekend my awesome friends had a "Nueve de mayo" party, so I decided to make a tres leches cake. Mind you, I didn't think I would like tres leches (and turns out I was right) but it sounded interested and mexican theme appropriate.

I am a super simple girl sometimes when I am in a time crunch so here is the super secret recipe..

Tres Leches
buy a yellow cake mix, prepare as directed (except use a whisk and just whisk together the batter but not too much..this will keep it from rising too much in the oven and make it a little more like a pound cake)
mix together 1 cup of whole milk, 1 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup evaporated milk and 1/3 cup rum.
While the cake is hot, poke holes (i used a fork) all over the cake, pour the milk mixture over it evenly. Cool the cake on the counter until cool then refrigerate. Before serving, spread coolwhip (or real whipped cream) over the entire cake and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cool whip works well if you aren't going to keep it cold.

you could also put cherries on the cake instead of cinnamon..