Sweet Time Bake Shoppe has expanded to create space for other local businesses, vendors and artisans.
Shop owner Victoria Ignoto held a grand re-opening on Saturday morning to showcase the new setup. The downtown store had been closed for a week to allow for renovations.
“We did a Christmas market in the wintertime and we saw how great it was and how it brought people together,” she said. “It made me think why not do it here and make this a one-stop-shop where people can come and treat themselves or get something sweet for someone else.”
The 26-year-old Bradford native opened her downtown business in December of 2019, roughly three months before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“I’ve received so much support from our community through COVID,” Ignoto said. “I just wanted to give that same support back to local artists and makers.”
Now, the bakery features cards, signs, cake truffles, floral arrangements, and more. Ignoto says the community has been supportive of the change.
“Orillia has always shown me a lot of love,” she said. “We had a soft opening on Thursday and the response has been really good.”
Community members lined up on Mississaga Street this morning around 10 a.m. for a free swag bag that was handed out to the first 25 customers to visit the store.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Ignoto said. “The bakery has been open for three years so I like to think that we have that following, but you just never know. It is really nice to see that we have that kind of support.”
Coun. Mason Ainsworth was on hand to support Sweet Time Bake Shoppe’s re-opening. He says Ignoto’s imitative to expand her business to lend a hand to others is “phenomenal.”
“When I first met Victoria, she didn’t even have this space,” he said. “She understands where most folks are coming from when they are first starting out, and some of them need a hand up.”
Sweet Time Bake Shoppe is located at 64 Mississaga St. W.
