Today we’d like to introduce you to Chrissy Zemencik.
Hi Chrissy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started Cake Loft out of my mom’s kitchen in 2017, just under a year after I graduated high school. I started off by primarily making cupcakes, cookies, and brownies for friends and family, and as word spread, my business grew. For just over seven years, I stayed home based, quickly expanding the products and services that I offered, and the area I reached. I began working with other local businesses in the are for Cookie Classes, Pop Ups, Pairings, and more.
Throughout most of this time, I was also a full time student, earning an Associate’s Degree from Johnson County Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree from Kansas State University- Olathe, and eventually starting my MBA online through Fort Hays State University (which I completed in May of 2025, shortly after opening out store front).
When Covid hit in 2020, I had to rapidly pivot my business, and began doing countless contactless deliveries, and catering towards smaller orders, as most parties and gatherings were paused. As someone who always tries to find a silver lining, I saw this as an opportunity to step up and see if I had what it took to really work on my dream.
The next few years consisted of learning a new normal, eventually going back to teaching classes, doing pop ups, and slowly our weddings and large parties starting taking place again. I also worked hard during this time to build new and strengthen existing relationships with local businesses to take on orders for them.
In 2023, I had a bit of a setback, having a major wrist surgery which put me out of work for nearly half the year. Another challenge that I saw as an opportunity; this time taught me the importance of bringing in my clients to my personal life, and showing them the person behind the cookies and cakes. I have learned over the years the importance of building personal connections with customers- when they have a hundred bakeries to choose from, I want them to keep coming back to Cake Loft because of the overall experience – both the customer service and the product.
In early 2024, I began seriously looking at my options for a Store Front Retail location, as I had completely outgrown my home space, and had reached my limit on what I could make every week. After many months of searching, we signed our lease on our store in Olathe in October 2024, and opened in January 2025!
The last nearly year and a half have been a complete whirlwind, which I am forever grateful for. We currently offer a selection of Gourmet Cookies, Decorated Sugar Cookies, Gluten Free Cookies, Brownies, Oatmeal Cream Pies, Cupcakes, French Macarons, and Snack Mixes available daily, as well as weekend favorites such as Cinnamon Rolls, and seasonal favorites like Banana Pudding Cups, Hot Cocoa Bombs, and more! I still do lots of custom orders for Cakes, Cupcakes, Sugar Cookies, Gourmet Cookies, Weddings, and all occasions, big or small! I am excited to continue working with our local school district, as well as the Johnson County Community College Foundation, and other local organizations such as Westlake ACE Hardware, Lockton, and the City of Olathe.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh absolutely not!
Bakery demand is certainly seasonal, with May, November, and December being our busiest months of the year. Going from the huge holiday demand in December, to many people having New Years Resolutions in January is a complete 180 switch. Learning to sit in the moment, and not panic when demand varies has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn.
Growth and Scaling, especially since opening up the store front has also been a significant challenge. 90% of the time, I am the one you will see when you come in. I am here for all of our open hours, unless I am running a delivery. I am directly responsible for all marketing, food ordering, baking, decorating, upkeep of messages and emails, and so much more. I feel like my responsibilities and stressors have multiplied tenfold since we opened, and every day I am learning something new. Luckily for me, I enjoy a challenge, but this does certainly make the work-life balance seem a little unsteady at times. I have had to get better about setting boundaries, and being realistic with what I can take on each week, because the last thing that I want to do is disappoint my customers.
Before we opened at the storefront, I was a full time student, and took a lot of pride in doing well academically. Having to balance a challenging course load with an always growing business was definitely challenging at times, especially when finals would fall on the same weeks as our busy weeks for orders.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Cake Loft, we strive to always have a warm, welcoming environment, and want our customers to know how much we appreciate them, whether its their first time coming in, or if they’ve been there since the beginning. I believe above all else, that customer service is the most important thing we offer. At the end of the day, you can have the best product in the city, but if you aren’t welcoming, and if you don’t make an effort to connect with customers and form relationships, you won’t last. I am extremely proud of the reputation that I have built for customer service, and that many of our customers come in weekly or monthly, and reach out to us first for their custom orders. I have multiple customers that I made wedding cakes for, that reached back out a year or more later for baby shower treats, and again as their child has grown up. Getting to be a part of someone’s tradition in that way is something so incredibly special, and something I will never take for granted.
We also LOVE to have different events at the bakery!
Every week, we have. Kids Open Decorating, where families can come in and have their littles decorate cookies or cupcakes (we alternate each week), we love to do Game Day Promotions, host Cookie and Cake Decorating classes and so much more!
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
One of my favorite memories as a child was spending time with my grandparents. Often times, my brother and I would spend Saturday evening with our grandparents- we would watch shows and movies, do crafts, play the piano, ride our bikes on trails, go to various parks, play basketball with a custom backboard that we made together, and we would always end our night with a banana split. While ironically enough, I’ve never had a big sweet tooth, a banana split will always hit the spot for me. I learned from a young age how important family is, and how much it means to spend quality time with loved ones.
As I grew up, my grandpa- my mom’s dad- was always my biggest supporter. From the time I first stepped into a kitchen, to growing my business, he always cheered me on.
Pricing:
- Custom Cakes- $40-120
- Gourmet Cookies- $3.50 each/$39/dozen
- Decorated Sugar Cookies- $42-50/dozen
- Cupcakes- $3 each/ $33/Dozen
- Cinnamon Rolls- $5
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cake-loft-llc.square.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissyscakeloft
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrissysCakeLoft
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cakeloftllc
