It’s a sweet life at the Crafty Cake Shop. The local shop, which began just five years ago as an online business run out of owner Tanya Solares’ home, is a true baker’s dream — filled with walls of silicone molds, shelves filled with sparkling sprinkles in every color and shade of the rainbow, containers to hold nearly any type of sweet or candy, and all of the tools a baker of any level could need.
Solares began her journey as a cake decorator at Smith’s after enrolling in the pastry arts program at the College of Southern Nevada in 2008.
“I was able to learn a lot and immediately fell in love with cake decorating,” said Solares. “I started decorating cakes for my friends and family over the years, but I had a dilemma: it was extremely hard for me to find the cake supplies I needed.”
Solares took matters into her own hands and started the Crafty Cake Shop, which quickly outgrew its original storefront before relocating to its current location on Rainbow near Charleston.
“That’s how it all started. I knew I wasn’t the only one looking for specialty cake decorating supplies, so I started small and started the online platform. Shortly after, I moved into a brick and mortar,” she said.
Today the Crafty Cake Shop carries unique and trendy cake, cookie, and chocolate supplies and also offers classes for all skill levels as well as master classes with cake decorating influencers and renowned cake artists.
The Crafty Cake Shop caters to anyone interested in the craft — from hobbyists and home bakers to professionals to those who are just looking to try something new and take a class with their friends or kids.
“I love working in this industry because I am able to meet new people and see people grow,” said Solares. “I’ve seen people start at beginner level and work their way up to professional in such a short period of time.”
The store itself has become quite an online influencer in its own right, garnering more than 20,000 followers on TikTok, where the store posts videos highlighting new products and trending projects.
Solares uses her successes to promote others in the field by hosting pop-ups to help promote small baking businesses, “I’ve met some pretty amazing and extremely talented people this way.”
While her rise from an online store run out of her home may seem swift to some, Solares urges aspiring bakers to be patient. “Patience is key,” she said. “If you love something enough, you will learn the ins and outs of it. It’s just like anything else in this world; nothing happens overnight.”