Single mom's Montgomery bakery becomes a showcase of confections and faith

Having a cottage bakery store is more than a business for Crystal Jackson. It's her answer to God's voice.

"When God says move, I try to be obedient," said Jackson, who has been owner, operator and baker for Treats By Gifted in Montgomery for a year. The single mom opened the store on her son's 10th birthday.

"It was really, truly just a leap of faith," Jackson said.

That leap transformed the former Sally's Beauty spot at 1526 East Boulevard into a showcase for Jackson's home-baked goods.

On Saturday, July 20, she's inviting the public to join her there for a year-one celebration, plus a look at things to come. She'll have games, giveaways, samples, and cupcakes and brownies will be $2 each.

Step into the door of Treats By Gifted and you'll be greeted by open space with a colorful interior — purple, white, black and turquoise — in various shapes that come together on the walls almost like a puzzle.

"When you walk in, it's vibrant. That's what I wanted," Jackson said.

Of course, there's a display case for all the treats she makes at home. She keeps five or more types available — brownies, cupcakes, bread pudding and a couple of rotating items like banana pudding, cake jars and cheesecake jars, candied popcorn and more. She lists her offerings daily on Treats By Gifted's official Facebook page.

Additionally, Jackson offers custom cakes and other specialty treats, including larger quantities of her regular items. These generally require four to six weeks advance notice.

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"Just to make sure I have the availability and I'm able to get everything ordered and in place to execute the order," Jackson said. "Some smaller orders, we are able to fill in a shorter time frame."

You can get treats to go, or sit down and enjoy them in the store.

"We have some tables and chairs in the location," Jackson said.

When she says "we," that's another leap of faith for Jackson. She calls it speaking something into existence. For now, Jackson operates Treats By Gifted by herself, but that's not the way she wants it to remain.

There's more to come as she continues organizing to handle events in the store, including birthday packages. She plans to announce more about that on July 20.

Additionally, she'd like to assist others who have home-based businesses that are also ready to take a leap by offering space for them to use.

"I've had other bakers to come in, and ideally that's what I would prefer, other home-based bakers or cottage bakers like myself," Jackson said.

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Treats by Gifted is open Mondays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.

For more information call 334-721-4579.

From childhood dream to today's reality

Jackson has been baking since she was a child, and has fond memories of helping her mother in the kitchen.

"I used to jokingly say I wanted to bake when I got older, and never really, truly thought about it when I started my actual career," Jackson said.

Her son is 11 now, but a decade ago Jackson baked the cake and cupcakes for his first birthday.

"That just became the routine for any of his birthdays," she said. "I would try to bake a different kind of cake, try something different that I'd never done. I had never worked with character cakes, or anything of that nature. I was just accustomed to bundt cakes, which is what mama used to make, or your traditional layer cakes — red velvet and German chocolate."

After years of baking as a side project, she said God was ready for her to step out and bake full time.

"I left my job working for one of the local universities, and I was doing this full time from home for almost two years before I got the storefront location," she said.

Prior to the store, she'd wait for call in orders or bake small quantities of items and use social media to let people know what was available. Now, she has to bake much more, which means her home is even busier than before. It's a lot of work to bake, finish, package and transport everything.

"Pretty much, my house is the bakery," she said. Her kitchen is constantly busy, and baked goods often take up most of her dining room.

"i utilize my dining room table to spread out my cupcakes and assemble everything. Decorate the cupcakes, and ice the cupcakes," Jackson said.

Of course there's the dishes. Her home bakery requires a lot of cleaning — cupcake pans, cake pans, mixing bowls, spatulas and more — on top of what gets used to make meals at home.

"It's quite a lot," she said.

Outside of work, Jackson said she has a lot of help with family life.

"My mother's a great asset. She's very helpful," Jackson said. "And I have a great village. Not just my mother, but other family and friends that assist outside of the shop and with other personal aspects of life, to kind of help with that balance a little bit."

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: A year later, Treats By Gifted a showcase of baked goods and faith