Detroit’s First Black-owned Baking and Cake Decorating Supply Store Opens

Husband and wife team Mark and Charlita Knox have opened Crummy’s Cake Supply & Studio, Detroit’s only Black-owned baking and cake decorating supply store located at 7114 W. Seven Mile Road near the city’s Avenue of Fashion.
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Charlita and Mark Knox have opened Crummy's Cake Supply & Studio in Detroit, the city's only Black-owned cake decorating and supply store. // Courtesy of Crummy's Cake & Supply Studio
Charlita and Mark Knox have opened Crummy’s Cake Supply & Studio in Detroit, the city’s only Black-owned cake decorating and supply store. // Courtesy of Crummy’s Cake & Supply Studio

Husband and wife team Mark and Charlita Knox have opened Crummy’s Cake Supply & Studio, Detroit’s only Black-owned baking and cake decorating supply store located at 7114 W. Seven Mile Road near the city’s Avenue of Fashion.

The new store offers a wide selection of premium baking supplies, from toppings to specialty ingredients to decoration tools. From a variety of cake boards, cake drums, Masonite boards to cupcake containers, pastry packaging inserts, and cake boxes, Crummy’s Cake Supply & Studio stocks all the essentials that a baker needs.

“If you are a baker or pastry chef in the city of Detroit, whether you are a home baker, a professional, or just a hobby baker, you have to drive out of the city into the suburbs for your baking supplies,” says Charlita Knox. “My husband, Mark, and I saw a unique opportunity to turn my passion of baking into a business and to also be a part of the exciting revitalization of Detroit’s historic Avenue of Fashion.”

Charlita, a certified pastry chef and buttercream cake artist, and her husband left their corporate banking jobs in late 2018 and opened several pop-up shops selling sweets and treats. Charlita soon realized her true passion was designing and decorating custom-made one-of-a-kind cakes.

Discovering there wasn’t anywhere in Detroit for them to purchase cake supplies, Mark and Charlita decided to open their own bakery supply store. Charlita continues to create her custom cakes in the store’s commercial kitchen while Mark handles the sales of cake supplies.

The Knox’s are graduates of TechTown Detroit’s Retail Boot Camp, an intensive, 12-week program that prepares serious entrepreneurs for the opening of their brick-and-mortar establishments in Detroit.

The program curriculum is designed to strengthen businesses from pop-up stage to permanent location as they look to thrive in today’s retail environment. Retail Boot Camp has gained a reputation for supporting the launch of successful businesses in neighborhood commercial districts.

“The determination of small business owners like Mark and Charlita Knox is a testament to the strength of Detroit’s neighborhoods,” says Amanda Saab, small business services director at TechTown. “Crummy’s Cake Supply & Studio is just what the city needs, and we are proud to have provided them the tools to support their dream of one day opening a business. We look forward to watching their business grow and enjoy much success.”

Crummy’s Cake Supply & Studio soon will offer a range of creative, educational classes and demonstrations onsite for anyone looking to expand their baking skills. Participants can learn everything from how to set up a kitchen to following recipes, scale ingredients and master baking techniques.

A ribbon-cutting will take place April 2 as part of a daylong celebration to commemorate the store’s grand opening. Attendees will enjoy a special discount on all items in the store and be introduced to new products and supplies. Those in attendance will also have the opportunity to register for private baking classes and network with local bakers and chefs.