One of Ella Stone’s cake creations. Photo courtesy. Homepage photo by Gandee Photography.

Curtis and Ella Stone, the owners of Celestial Cakery, are opening a bake shop named Swirl in Oakhurst with a target opening of May. Celestial Cakery is well-known and beloved among brides for its wedding cakes, earning countless awards on The Knot and Wedding Wire. Curtis runs the business, while Ella is the pastry chef behind each of the cakes they deliver.

“We’re, like, the shit when it comes to wedding cakes,” Curtis says. “But when working from your home, you can’t really sell cookies and brownies and cupcakes from your front doorstep because that’s kind of weird.”

They also couldn’t have interns because they’re a home-based business, so they were limited in what they could do. According to Curtis, they turn down about 40 cakes a month from people who need them that week. When a developer began construction on a new shopping center on Monroe Road in Oakhurst, across from the Common Market there, they began to discuss what a bakery might look like. They signed a lease, and began planning.

Swirl will be 1,200 square feet, much of it dedicated to the kitchen. The retail space will be small, with two high-top tables and a pastry case, decorated by a mural. They’ll sell cakes for those who need a last-minute birthday or celebration cake, as well as cupcakes, cookies, macarons, and dessert pastries. There’s a yoga studio going in next door, so they will also have a few healthy, protein-packed options for that clientele.

“We’re hoping to be able to add all of the stuff that we can’t do right now, so think a little bit of Suarez meets a little bit of Amelie’s meets a little bit of Gigi’s Cupcakes,” Curtis says.

One of the biggest draws will be a cupcake bar, where you can select your cake and icing flavors, and a topping. There will be eight or so cake flavors, 10 icing options, and 25 toppings to choose from. Aside from being a fun experience, the decision is also a brilliant business one; unused cake bottoms can be used in cake pops, since they haven’t been iced yet.

Their first employee has already been hired, and will begin in April. To grow the business, Curtis hopes to gain more corporate clients as well as expanding their capability to meet current customer demands. Their long-term plan is to expand to more locations, once they’ve had time to determine what works best in the new concept. They’re currently still in the build-out phase, but hope to have the bakery open in May. They’ve signed a five-year lease. —Kristen Wile