Dana Alfahham, owner of Dana’s Cake Shoppe at Virginia’s open-air center the Village at Leesburg, didn’t always plan to become a professional baker. Though she studied biology, she discovered her true passion in pastry school and went on to teach and run a cake business in Dubai before bringing her talents to Virginia.

In this conversation with ICSC Small Business Center contributing editor Rebecca Meiser, Alfahham shares how she built her bakery from the ground up — testing her concept in a kiosk, overcoming the challenges of opening a storefront during COVID and learning to trust others as her business grows.

You didn’t start out planning to be a professional baker. How did Dana’s Cake Shoppe come to be?

I moved to the States around 2013. When I came here, I continued making wedding cakes from home, and slowly word caught on. Year after year we started being selected as one of the best wedding cake businesses in the Washington, D.C.-Virginia area through WeddingWire, which was a big deal for us. This is now our eighth year in a row being selected as one of the best wedding cake businesses.

I started getting a lot of requests from customers to do more everyday items and offer more than just wedding and birthday cakes. So [my husband and I] decided to open our own shop in Leesburg.

Before opening your current location in August 2020, you tested the waters with a kiosk at the Village at Leesburg. What did that experience teach you?

Yes, before opening the store, we rented a kiosk for a few months just to see how it would go. It was helpful. We got a lot of feedback. It let people hear about us, spread the word and gave me the confidence to move from a home business to a fully operated cake shop.

What were the biggest challenges in moving from a kiosk to a full storefront?

It wasn’t easy, getting everything from the plans to the permits. It was a huge investment for us. And then COVID happened. It was a big challenge, but because of the support of all the people in Leesburg, we are still here.

The space wasn’t a bakery before — what did it take to build your shop from the ground up?

It wasn’t a bakery — I think it was a Sprint [Wireless store] before. We had to build everything from scratch. Renovations, the kitchen, the seating area, all the equipment. We had to do it all from zero.

How did you fund the buildout and launch?

We did it all out of pocket — no loans, which was not easy. It was [my husband’s and my] savings and was a huge investment to do without loans [but] I didn’t want the extra payments on top of everything. I wanted to start small and then grow bigger. I’m happy we did it that way.

How big is your team now, and how do you balance being both creative lead and manager?

It’s me and my team of bakers and decorators, and my [three daughters] are a big part of it. My husband helps whenever he can. He supports me with managing, marketing, all of that. He’s a big help.

I’m learning to trust people. I was lucky to find a good team I can rely on, who understands my vision and can create the cakes and styles we love. Still, it’s not easy. I manage the shop myself and handle all the communication with customers and orders.

What was the hardest part of transitioning from home-based baker to brick-and-mortar business owner?

We’ve had a team with us since day one, but working from home is nothing like running a shop. At home, you can take as many or as few orders as you want. You can even say: “I’m busy this week. I don’t feel like baking.” But once you have a shop, it’s a whole business. The way you operate is completely different. Honestly, I work seven days a week. Even on vacation, I’m still answering calls and emails. The shop only closes on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, so even on my “day off,” I usually end up at the store. It’s not easy but my kids help a lot, especially in the summer, and my husband jumps in whenever I need him.

What advice would you give someone who wants to test their business before opening a retail space?

First, they need to know what they’re doing. Be passionate about it and have the skills. I was a cake decorator for many years before opening. And you need patience — a lot of patience. If you don’t love what you do, you’ll feel stuck because this is almost 24/7. You always have to be ready for surprises, good or bad.

Good surprises are things like last-minute big orders. You need to be prepared to take them, especially during wedding season, which for us is April through May and then October. Bad surprises can be cancellations, like we had during COVID. Or maybe a cake doesn’t turn out right and we have to redo it. Luckily, we haven’t had too many of those.

Your open kitchen lets customers see the decorating process. Why was that transparency important to you?

Very. We don’t have anything to hide. Customers can see our kitchen is clean and organized, and that builds trust. People love watching us decorate cakes. They’ll ask: “Oh, is that the wedding cake?” I like that interaction. It makes people confident in us and excited about what we do.

How have you built a loyal customer base in Leesburg?

A lot. I don’t want to give the wrong percentage, but a large amount. And of course, we’re always happy to see new customers from Leesburg and the surrounding areas too.

What’s one thing you wish you’d known before opening?

I wish I had known more about the market needs in this area. At first, we offered products that didn’t sell much and we had to adjust. Over time we learned what people here really wanted.

What sells best now?

Cupcakes. At first we offered more cookies and baked goods than cupcakes, but it turns out there aren’t many high-end cupcake places around here. That’s what we learned from our customers. Now cupcakes are our biggest seller, aside from cakes. We have a wide range of cupcakes available with very unique flavors that you cannot see anywhere else, like lemon-turmeric, mixed berries and snickerdoodle.

What’s next for Dana’s Cake Shoppe?

Our plan is to open a second location. Right now we serve Loudoun County, but we get a lot of requests from people in D.C., Tysons and Fairfax, Virginia, saying Leesburg is too far. So within five years we hope to open a shop closer to D.C. and maybe even a third and fourth location after that.