Fresh-baked goods aren’t the only sweet part about Beth’s Little Bake Shop. The Evanston bakery, which is celebrating its six-year anniversary in June, has built a growing community around its cakes and pastries.

Beth Welch, owner and executive pastry chef, and her husband, retail manager Mikey Oris, said a local store such as Beth’s is invaluable for the Evanston community. The shop helps create meaningful relationships that are irreplaceable, Oris said.

“We get hundreds of people in the shop each day and I know a significant percentage of the people by first name, and we know their orders,” Oris said. “When regular customers come to the shop, I already grab what they’re going to get before they ask.”

Like Oris, Welch is grateful for her customers — and has an especially soft spot for her four-legged patrons. As an extra treat, Welch gives milk bones to customers with dogs.

The bakery, located at 1814 Central St., is just under a ten-minute drive from Northwestern’s campus, allowing students and Evanston residents alike to enjoy the baked goods.

As a teenager, Evanston native Hannah Lipman frequented the bakery, which was located by her middle school.

“When they opened up in 2015, I would walk by and get curious about the shop because it was a cute small business,” Lipman said. “My family started to order baked goods from there, always getting their cakes for family members’ birthdays.”

Now a college student, the Weinberg freshman said the shop’s sweet treats and personable staff have kept her coming back.

Welch said the Support Evanston Restaurants Facebook page, which was created by Evanston residents last year to support businesses during COVID-19, has helped the shop garner new business during the pandemic.

“The Support Evanston Restaurants Facebook page has blown us up. Everyone in the area has made an effort to bring attention to all these small businesses and it has helped us significantly,” Welch said. “I am just so grateful. They’ve brought new customers to the shop and given us an avenue to show what Beth’s Little Bake Shop can offer the community.”

As for what to order at the shop, Welch and Oris shared their go-to orders.

Oris consistently orders the monkey danish – it’s made with croissant dough, cinnamon sugar, cream cheese and streusel.

Welch said she will often opt for a ham and cheese croissant. But her favorite treats from the shop aren’t on the menu: she loves the cake scraps and buttercream frosting she steals from the cake artist.

However, the sweetest thing of all, according to Welch, is the community support.

“Since day one of opening the shop, we have seen almost nothing but praises and acceptance from this special community,” Welch said. “That truly hits me to my soul. I am so humbled, proud and incredibly happy.”

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