Meet Patsy Crawford of The Sweet Palette Bakery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patsy Crawford.

Hi Patsy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
After being in Graphic Design for over 35 years and becoming more internet-based, I wanted a change. I always loved to bake and had been decorating cakes for a few years for friends and family. I decided I’d like to try opening a bakery. Having been born and raised in Fayetteville, I knew I wanted to be a part of the revitalization of downtown. So, my husband Del and I bought one of the run-down buildings downtown, and along with our son Adam, we brought the building back to life and opened the bakery in 2012. We wanted to keep it simple making everything from scratch, baking in small batches to make sure everything was always fresh. And wanted to make sure it not only looked good but taste great as well. Also, being a big supporter of the arts we used part of the shop as an art gallery and also held special events such as The Spoken Word once a month. Over the years, we’ve added desserts such as Macarons and now serve ice cream as well… Thanks to the help of other downtown businesses and such great loyal customers, we are still going strong after 10 years. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not always. Never having owned a food service business when I started definitely had a learning curve. And Downtown Fayetteville was early in its revitalization when we opened so a bit of a struggle to bring customers to come downtown. Of course, COVID was devastating, but with some creative thinking, we survived. We still have our ups and downs, but overall, we feel we are doing ok. Always would like to do better and have lines out the door LOL 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Sweet Palette Bakery?
We are a small family-owned bakery. Along with my son Adam, we make delicious desserts from scratch. We specialize in small individual desserts, such as cupcakes, macarons, and mini cheesecakes. Our Macarons are becoming more and more well-known for some of the best in Fayetteville. Our custom-designed sugar cookies have been taking off as well. I believe part of what sets us apart is we use our artistic skills to customize orders. We can take a customer’s design ideas for their party and create decorations, whether it’s with icing, chocolate, or fondant. 

We have started a program where you can design your own cupcake. You can pick your cupcake flavor, filling, icing, and toppings. And also, we don’t just have set flavors and items. If someone wants a special flavor of cupcake or macaron or cheesecake made, we will try it! We are very proud of what we make here, but just as important is our customer service. We always want people to feel welcome and stay and play a game, use our internet, or just sit and enjoy the view from our windows. And know that what they are being served is fresh, made with only the best ingredients, and made with a lot of care. 

Any big plans?
We are concentrating on the “Design your own cupcake” right now. Looking to create party packages with paint-your-own sugar cookies? We are looking to grow our catering for events and corporate functions. And expand our ice cream offerings to include milkshakes and sundaes. 

Contact Info:

• Website: TheSweetPalette.com
• Facebook: The Sweet Palette

Image Credits
Adam Crawford