How sweet it is!

What would tempt a paralegal and a bank teller to give up 'cushy' 9-to-5 day jobs in exchange for employment with long hours, hard work and no guarantee of a paycheck?

Cupcakes.

Dana Maxwell of Rolla began decorating cakes after graduating high school in 2003 while working at Walmart. There, she worked her way up to being the wedding cake decorator by 2005.

"I've been stuck in cake decorating ever since," she said.

"Dana is very talented," said mother-in-law and business partner Cindy Maxwell. "She is quite the little artist."

In the years that followed, Dana made custom cakes in her home while working as head teller at the First Community National Bank.

"She was throwing the idea (of opening a bakery) around," said Cindy, who had been a paralegal for 17 years. "I was looking for something new, something different. This is something new, something different."

The rest — as they say — is history.

The duo began planning the opening of the bakery — named Sweet Thangs — in May, quit their jobs around the end of July, and confections started flying off the shelves by the end of September.

"We literally opened the business off of faith," said Dana.

Cindy's husband, Larry Maxwell, was very encouraging — as was Dana's husband — Travis, who was excited to have space in his kitchen back.
Before the shop opened, Dana estimates she made between 30-50 cakes per year out of her home.

"I think we had that in the first couple weeks here," she said. "We were working 60-70 hours (a week) just to keep up… It was a surprise to see how fast we've been growing. We have a lot of wedding cakes coming up. It's been really nice."

Business at the shop has been growing so fast the duo had to hire extra help. There are three part-time employees currently being trained in the art of cake decorating.

Tuesday, cupcake orders were flying out the door as fast as the Maxwell’s could make them — the bell hanging above the door of the shop loudly announcing the arrival and departure of every customer.

"Don't you get sick of hearing that bell all the time?" asked a visitor.

"No," said Dana. "There is nothing more awkward than doing dishes after 10 minutes, coming around the corner and seeing someone standing there."

What would tempt a paralegal and a bank teller to give up 'cushy' 9-to-5 day jobs in exchange for employment with long hours, hard work and no guarantee of a paycheck?

Cupcakes.

Dana Maxwell of Rolla began decorating cakes after graduating high school in 2003 while working at Walmart. There, she worked her way up to being the wedding cake decorator by 2005.

"I've been stuck in cake decorating ever since," she said.

"Dana is very talented," said mother-in-law and business partner Cindy Maxwell. "She is quite the little artist."

In the years that followed, Dana made custom cakes in her home while working as head teller at the First Community National Bank.

"She was throwing the idea (of opening a bakery) around," said Cindy, who had been a paralegal for 17 years. "I was looking for something new, something different. This is something new, something different."

The rest — as they say — is history.

The duo began planning the opening of the bakery — named Sweet Thangs — in May, quit their jobs around the end of July, and confections started flying off the shelves by the end of September.

"We literally opened the business off of faith," said Dana.

Cindy's husband, Larry Maxwell, was very encouraging — as was Dana's husband — Travis, who was excited to have space in his kitchen back.
Before the shop opened, Dana estimates she made between 30-50 cakes per year out of her home.

"I think we had that in the first couple weeks here," she said. "We were working 60-70 hours (a week) just to keep up… It was a surprise to see how fast we've been growing. We have a lot of wedding cakes coming up. It's been really nice."

Business at the shop has been growing so fast the duo had to hire extra help. There are three part-time employees currently being trained in the art of cake decorating.

Tuesday, cupcake orders were flying out the door as fast as the Maxwell’s could make them — the bell hanging above the door of the shop loudly announcing the arrival and departure of every customer.

"Don't you get sick of hearing that bell all the time?" asked a visitor.

"No," said Dana. "There is nothing more awkward than doing dishes after 10 minutes, coming around the corner and seeing someone standing there."

Unlike unfortunate bakers on popular TV shows, Dana has never dropped a cake, although she did have one fall apart once.

"The cake was too moist, it just fell apart," she said. "I enjoy Cupcake Wars, but I can't watch Cake Boss because when a cake tips over — I can't breathe. Those shows make me sweat bullets."

The most popular cake at the bakery is the chocolate cake, but the team is proud of their Valentine's Day creation — a chocolate strawberry cake.
"It tastes just like chocolate-covered strawberries," said Dana.

In addition to their confectionary creations, Sweet Thangs also offers a daily soup and sandwich special.

Do the Maxwells regret their life-changing decision to open the store? The answer seems obvious.

"I love coming in here every day and leaving most days smelling like cake," said Dana. "There's a lot of satisfaction when people open their cakes and say they love it."