By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Kathy Jo Taylor, owner of KJ’s Cakery Bakery Sweet Shop in Kent, prides herself on being a Black woman in business. A native of San Diego, Taylor graduated from UCLA with dreams of becoming a doctor or a teacher. But Taylor, who comes from a family of business owners, could not get away from the entrepreneurial spirit that flows through her veins.
“My background is what led me to my business as far as wanting to be an entrepreneur,” says Taylor. “My Uncle owned a moving business in San Diego and I worked with him in that business starting at the age of ten or eleven all the way up until I went to college and so I always dreamed of opening my own business. I didn’t know what I wanted it to be but I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur.”
KJ’s is not your ordinary conventional bakery. Taylor describes her businesses as an extension of her childhood memories. From the popcorn she enjoyed growing up, to cotton candy from the fairs her father would take her and siblings too, as well as ice cream, assorted candies and other treats, the diversity in Taylor’s creativity could easily be described as a modern-day Willy Wonka Factory.
“I always had a love a baking because of my grandmother, my aunt and my mother,” says Taylor. “I remember going to my grandmother’s house and she always had cakes or pies or something cooking. I remember asking her for her recipes and saying ‘when I grow up, I want to be able to make the same types of bake goods for my family.’”
One of the things that helps set Taylor apart is that, in addition to being a highly driven business woman, she is also a software engineer by trade. Taylor has been able to successfully fuse her creative side with her technical background to create tasty pastries with unique designs and flavors, including a chicken and waffle cake.
Early in her career, Taylor described herself as a “baker not a decorator”, but after taking some decorating classes she fell in love with the creative process.
“I fell in love with cake decorating and think that’s because of my technical background,” says Taylor. “I love trying to figure out how construct cake or construct recipes and so I fell in love with that idea and the science behind it.”
For Taylor, the combination of being a creative cake technician is paying off, as customers are taken aback by the diversity in baked goods and often find it difficult to make up their minds on what they want to try first.
“The kid in me comes alive when I go in there,” says Cynthia Johnson, a longtime friend and customer. “I never can make up my mind on what to get — all of it looks and smells so good.”
“Some of my favorite cupcake flavors are Pink Champagne, Lemon Twist, Southern Red Velvet and the newest flavor Banana Pudding,” Johnson continued. “I heard they have a Peach Cobbler flavored cupcake now for the holidays. I love peach cobbler, so I can’t wait to try it.”
KJ’s Cakery Bakery Sweet Shop was established in October of 2019 with the enthusiasm of success written all over it and like everything else COVID-19 halted those plans. Taylor like all other business owners had to adapt the way she did business.
“COVID hit at the end of February and I had to cancel all of my weddings, all of my events and I actually panicked for maybe a week or two,” says Taylor. “I was really concerned about the longevity of my business. I know that businesses fail and we’re talking COVID, but I am very tenacious and I had to remind myself of what I tell others and that is ‘you don’t panic, you pivot.’”
Taylor made changes to her business to comply with health official guidelines, streamlined her budget and modified the way she served her customers. She discovered the benefits of delivery services and utilized them effectively. Even during the initial COVID restrictions in March, Taylor remained open and was even able to bring in a second baker.
“Every item in my shop at the time was prepackaged and there were so many restrictions on the things you can do, so for me it was easier because everything was prepackaged,” says Taylor. “In pivoting, I had to do more online, I signed up for Uber Eats and Door Dash, Grubhub and all of those delivery services and that was the smartest thing I did as it really helped us.”
Because of COVID 19 and Taylor’s ability to adapt to the changes and her commitment to customer service, customers were appreciative of not only the quality of Taylor’s goods but the service she provides. Customers like Ferris Doan describe to what extent Taylor would go to make sure her customers were satisfied.
“I lost my mom at the end of March and KJ so graciously accommodated my request for two dozen cupcakes to take to California for her funeral,” says Doan.
“My family tried again to get together for Mother’s Day and have a memorial, of course I called K J and she made me another two dozen special cupcakes, plus her creative Mother’s day cookies,” continued Doan. “I packed my car with the special cupcakes and drove to Sacramento to see my sisters and say hello and goodbye to my mom’s new resting place.”
Doan says KJ’s cupcakes and her attention to detail made Mother’s Day a very special occasion for their family.
“My family enjoyed the yummy cupcakes,” says Doan. “My mom loved cupcakes, we laughed and cried and tasted all the cupcakes, talking about which one she would have liked the best. Mother’s Day was tough but the KJ’s cupcakes kept our memories of our mom sweet and tasty during the worst of COVID time.”
KJ’s Cakery Bakery Sweet Shop prides herself in serving. Both serving her customers as well as the community at large. Through her love of baking, Taylor provides the community with an outlet and relief from the outside world by providing something everyone enjoys and that is the taste of good pastries and treats.
“I’m very service oriented, so it is important for me to give back to the community, says Taylor. “It is important for me just to give in general and I want people to understand that when they come here they will have an opportunity to spend some time with me to learn more about baking or to learn more about being a woman in business.”
“Anyone can own a business as long as they put in the work,” continued Taylor. “So, I’m always telling my story with hope that I inspire someone to take that leap of faith and open up their own business.”
