Business is moving and expansion is necessary.
That's the message Shelby Lafosse, owner of Red Cardinal Desserts and Cafe is spreading in the Jeff Davis community.
Lafosse will be moving Red Cardinal from 109 S Adams Street to 320 S Adams Street within the next six to eight weeks.
With only three years of business, she said she never expected it to grow so quickly.
"It's funny because people say it's really cool that your dream came true, but I never dreamed of opening a bakery," Lafosse said. "I was laid off during Covid from my job and I just started baking at home."
After making a homemade cheesecake for loved ones, Lafosse said word spread quickly and she began taking a variety of dessert orders.
Now, some of Lafosse's regular customers like Cheryl Meek drive all the way from West Lake for their sweet fix.
"It's worth it," Meek said. "It's well worth it...My husband says it's worth it...The great sweets and cupcakes and cookies. We don't really have a really big, sweet shop there, but we like to come here and get our stuff."
In order to keep up with the growing demand from customers, Lafosse said she's moving into a new space where customers can order through a drive-thru, have more space to dine indoors and she will be expanding her menu.
Lafosse said she has learned so much about transforming commercial property and she's excited to give her customers something new.
"[The new building] was pretty much a shell of a building," Lafosse said. "We had to put a commercial kitchen in and all new plumbing, new electric, we just poured concrete for the parking lot last week, so it was all kind of from scratch."
