HOME CAKE DECORATING SUPPLY CO

Food and Beverage > Food Equipment

The Home Cake Decorating Supply Co. has been a popular fixture in North Seattle since it opened in 1962. Two sisters, Thelma Sowards and Irene Amundsen, opened the store after being frustrated by their inability to find the supplies they needed for their love of cake decorating. Thelma, who had studied cake decorating in Portland and had to make the 3-hour journey to Oregon to purchase her favorite supplies there, encouraged Irene to join her in opening a business offering classes and supplies here in Seattle. In 1964, they moved the shop from Pinehurst Avenue Northeast to its current location at 9514 Roosevelt Way NE, and gained a reputation for catering to everyone from homemakers to professional bakers, providing a large and varied selection of tools, decorations, frostings, and edible decor to enable their customers to produce cakes and candies ranging from simple to spectacular.

As their business grew over the years, Irene’s daughter, Greil Mooney, became a regular participant in managing the store. She began by helping package items bought in bulk to help keep the prices low, by creating numerous cake toppers and floral arrangements, and by continuing to learn more and more about all aspects of the shop. In May 1981, Thelma Sowards passed away, and Greil took on an active role in running the shop on her own three days a week, while her mother ran it the other three days that they were open. Irene earned the nickname “The Cake Shop Lady” and was greatly beloved and revered for her extensive knowledge of baking and decorating, and also for her generous spirit, exemplified by her frequent habit of giving customers items they admired but could not afford. Greil began to emulate her mother’s penchant for excellent service, and learned more each day about the ins and outs of dessert making and decorating.

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