ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — For 17 years, Shana McDowell has built a business around cakes — even if baking was never her favorite part.

McDowell, 46, owner of AVLCakeLady in Asheville, said her path into the industry began not with a love of baking, but with a passion for decorating.

“I actually don’t like to bake,” she said with a laugh. “People think that’s fascinating. I absolutely don’t like to bake. I only like to decorate.”

What started as a small hobby — decorating cookies for her children’s school bus drivers — quickly grew.

“I wanted to take a decorating class, and they told me I had to bake cakes to be in the class,” McDowell said. “So, I started baking the cakes and giving them away.”

After taking the class, McDowell began baking cakes and honing her decorating skills.

That side project eventually turned into a full-time career. McDowell said she realized the potential of her business when weekend orders began bringing in more income than her regular job. Seven years ago, she opened her own shop.

Today, AVLCakeLady produces roughly 1,000 items each month, ranging from custom cakes to cupcakes and desserts like banana pudding, peach cobbler, cheesecakes and pound cakes.

Despite the growth, McDowell still prefers the artistic side of the work.

“Absolutely,” she said. “Decorating is still my favorite.”

The business remains small and family-run. McDowell works alongside her daughter, making it a two-person operation.

Orders come from a mix of sources, including custom designs, corporate clients and walk-in customers. She estimates about 40 percent of her business is custom orders, 30 percent corporate and the remaining 30 percent from walk-ins and deliveries.

Many of her customers have been with her since the beginning.

“I have customers that have been with me for 17 years,” she said.

For McDowell, the most rewarding part of the job isn’t the volume or the business growth — it’s the reaction from her customers.

“Seeing my kids smile when they come get their birthday cakes,” she said.

When she’s not working, McDowell said she prefers to keep things simple.

“I’m usually here,” she said, looking around her shop off New Leicester Highway.

What began as a creative outlet has grown into a lasting business, one built as much on relationships as it is on cake.

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