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Dynamic Pastries by Champane inside Macon Flea Market at 3670 Eisenhower Parkway offers pastries including slices of lime cake and red velvet cookies, slices of buttercream cake and covered strawberries strawberry frosting.
Courtesy of Cheryl Thomas Mills
For Cheryl Thomas Mills, a native of Macon, a silver lining appeared during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She opened her own business: Dynamic Pastries by Champane inside the Macon Flea Market at 3670 Eisenhower Parkway.
âI’ve been baking for a while, and when the pandemic started last year, I got more into doing that: baking and stuff and cooking for other people.
“It just happened. I just started doing it all the time and people were telling me how good everything was going so I just decided, OK, well, maybe I have to try to. start a business with that, that’s how I started.
At Dynamic Pastries, Mills offers all kinds of homemade goodies, including cakes, cupcakes, petit fours, chocolate covered strawberries, cheesecakes, sweet potato and pecan pies, brownies and cookies.
Most of these delicious pastries, including cakes and bulk items, must be pre-ordered for pickup. But there are takeout treats for walk-in store customers.
In addition to cupcakes, cookies, and brownies, Mills also has a variety of cake slices available for purchase in the store. Most of the time, she’ll have those $ 3 cake slices on hand: lime, red velvet, strawberry, and buttered pecan.
âI sell my lime almost every day,â she said. “These are the first to go – my lime and my red velvet.”
Cakes, petits fours, sweet potato and pecan pies and chocolate covered strawberries are available for pre-order.
âBasically call me and tell me whatever you want,â Mills said with a laugh.
Cake prices start at $ 35, except for wedding cakes, which start at $ 200.
She makes her treats at home, usually at night or in the morning before bringing them to the store.
Swap the song for the pastry
Mills had not sold his cakes and other baked goods before the pandemic. She said she ended up with extra time because her “hobby” of singing with Macon’s Bo Ponder and the band Old Soul II had stopped due to the pandemic.
She sang under the stage name Champane, which she incorporated into her business name.
âWe did a lot of private concerts, festivals like Winterfest with Bo Ponder and Old Soul II. With the pandemic, we haven’t done anything lately⦠It was just something I did next just for fun – a hobby, âMills said.
“It freed me up a lot of time to spend in a band and gigs and stuff⦠so I just put my attention on the baking.”
Mills opened her store on January 9 and said business was going well.
While she may eventually return to singing, Mills said her new venture will remain center stage.
Hours of operation are 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, and 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The business is closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The number is 478-262-8180.
This story was originally published March 30, 2021 5:00 a.m.