Lexington teacher and entrepreneur Rebecca Bigley turned her passion into profit when she opened Bigley Bakes. Featuring homemade sugar cookies, cakes, and cupcakes, all decorated by hand, Bigley Bakes is a sweet success.
Bigley teaches Family and Consumer Sciences at Lexington High School. When her job was “RIF listed” a few years ago, it meant that she may be part of a reduction in force (RIF). As the primary source of income in a home with five children, Bigley decided she needed a backup plan.
“Someone, very tongue-in-cheek, said, ‘Rebecca, you should have your own bakery,’” said Bigley, who had been baking for friends and family for years, in addition to passing those skills along to students.
“About a year and a half ago, I took a Facebook page and created Bigley Bakes. That’s really all I did, then I just said a prayer,” she said, noting that she asked God to grow the business to what He thought it should be.
Bigley’s teaching job did not end up as part of the reduction in force. “That was a blessing,” said Bigley, “but the bakery, technically a home-based cottage business, took off.”
“Last year, I did the craft show at Lexington,” said Bigley. “It went over so well, I gave over 600 business cards away, over 2,000 cookie samples, and people overwhelmed me with compliments.”
Bigley pointed out that many cookies carried in retail stores are heavy on preservatives. Her items contain no preservatives and are always made fresh to order.
She noted that handmade items take more time and effort, and therefore are a bit more expensive. When asked by customers if she could come up with an item that may be budget friendly, Bigley said her husband came up with the answer. “The biggest time investment in cookies like these is holding them and hand detailing them. My husband came up with the idea of glazing them instead. So that’s a new line that we’ve added, and that’s taken off pretty well.”
In addition to the cookies and cakes, Bigley Bakes also offers pies and special creations, as well as a healthy snack she calls Minuteman Munch. “It’s an energy snack. Everything in it is all-natural,” she added. Bigley recently passed out samples of her locally famous Minuteman Munch at Wayne’s Country Market during their monthly wine tasting event.
Bigley said she does not work with fondant for her special creations. “It has a very pasty, flavorless kind of taste,” she noted.
Bigley strives for consistency and quality in her products. “Ultimately, my name is on every single bite,” she said. “Because my name is on every single bite, you have to be happy with every bite.”
She also creates her own cookie cutters, and can do made-to-order cookie cutters for customers. “Whatever you need to make your day special, I try to make it my goal to do that for you,” she said.
Bigley offered some advice for those considering a career in cottage baking:
“You really have to consider what you can afford to put into it,” she said, noting that as she started out in business she ran at a loss. She also added that it is important to keep personal and business funds separate.
“Don’t shortchange yourself on how much time it takes you to do something,” she continued, adding that it is important to figure time spent into pricing.
Ample storage space and comparison shopping are other important things, she added.
The most important thing to remember, said Bigley, is that “customer service always has to be number one.”
Bigley Bakes can be found at her website and on Facebook. She may also be reached at bigleybakes@gmail.com.
