Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Tsai.
Hi Michelle, 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?
Hi, I am Michelle and I am the owner and face behind Poppy Flour Bake Shoppe. The idea for Poppy Flour Bake Shoppe first started in December of 2020 when I found myself out of a corporate job due to the on going pandemic of Covid-19. I wanted to do something that would keep me busy, but also something that would be a creative outlet as well as something I was passionate about. I have always loved baking, but after I finally tried decorating sugar cookies I was hooked even though the first cookies I ever decorated took me about 20 hours to make less than 2 dozen cookies.
I am a completely self taught cookier and baker and basically taught myself everything I know by watching YouTube and following some of the best cookiers on Instagram. A lot of people often ask me how I “got so good so fast” and while I am my own biggest critic and think I can still approve on so many things, the only answer I have is… practice. For the first 4 months of launching Poppy Flour Bake Shoppe I would design, bake, and decorate cookies inspired by friends and family. I didn’t have any paying customers at first, but I knew I needed to start building my portfolio and so I just started decorating and posting photos to my social media platforms and would then gift the cookies for free to those that inspired each set. Slowly but surely I started getting paying customers and through word of mouth my business started to pick up.
Poppy Flour Bake Shoppe has been open for over a year now and in 2022 I hope to add other baked goods to my menu.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part, I would say yes, I am so fortunate to have such a supportive husband who has helped make this passion for baking develop into something amazing.
I think the biggest struggle for me at the beginning aside from learning all the nuances of cookie decorating was figuring out how to market to a local customer base as I do not ship my cookies, which eliminates an online customer base. So, trying to market via social media platforms has been tricky as gaining a following doesn’t necessarily convert to paying local customers.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At the moment I specialize in delicious soft bite decorated sugar cookies with a modern boho aesthetic. I love creating cookie sets that have more of a muted earthy color palette along with clean and simple designs with touches of floral accents. However, I am not one to shy away from pops of colors. I am most proud of my design aesthetic as I think most of my clients are drawn to my work as my designs are more modern and not what you would think of when most people think of a traditionally decorated sugar cookie.
What sets me apart from others is definitely my eye for colors as all my frosting colors are hand mixed to match any client’s needs.
What matters most to you? Why?
Having creative freedom. I started decorating cookies because each cookie is a blank canvas and I tend to find that when clients give me a majority of creative freedom to create something, those sets tend to come out the best and are ones that I truly loved creating.
Having no limitations is truly the best feeling when you can create anything!
Pricing:
- Custom cookies start at $60/dozen with a 2 dozen minimum
Contact Info:
- Email: info@poppyflourbakeshoppe.com
- Website: www.poppyflourbakeshoppe.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppyflourbakeshoppe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Poppyflourbakeshoppe
Image Credits
@bohobabesphotography
@poppyflourbakeshoppe
