Sweet Sarah's: cookies & treats for any occasion!
In 2017, Sarah Hatcher was working as a Teacher’s Assistant in the Appomattox County Public Schools special education department. Sarah knew that her family needed a little extra income and she decided that she would begin (baking and) selling cookies for fellow educators and for her friends and neighbors. This would give her family that extra bit of support they needed.
Sarah knew she had a delicious top secret family recipe for frosted sugar cookies. These cake-like soft cookies are unique, and over the years she’d received many compliments on them when she made them for friends or brought them to different gatherings.
Sarah officially launched Sweet Sarah’s bakery and began offering these frosted sugar cookies for sale, along with cookie classic flavors like chocolate chip and snickerdoodle.
Sarah already had the delicious frosted sugar cookie recipe, but she also wanted to develop her cookie decorating skills. She searched for information online, read blogs, and watched tutorials to enhance her skill. Today, she designs fun, beautiful, and tasty treats!
As time passed by, Sweet Sarah’s cookies became well known throughout the schools and throughout the community. On weekdays, Sarah was working in education, and she worked on cookies on the evenings and weekends. Sarah’s cookie business became so busy that she was now practically working two full time jobs! Sarah knew something had to give. That’s when she decided to leave the job she loved so much in education and pursue growing Sweet Sarah’s bakery. Although it was a difficult decision to leave the school, it was especially difficult to leave her work associates, including Amy Noble, with whom she worked alongside in special education. The pair worked well together and had grown a close friendship. Fast forward a few years…
As the cookie business continued to grow, in 2022, Sarah knew she needed another person to join her. Amy had helped Sarah on occasion with invoices and deliveries and they often joked about Amy jumping on board. During the summer, that conversation took on a serious tone. Today, the pair work side by side operating Sweet Sarah’s Bakery!
Sarah is the creative partner; she focuses on baking and decorating. Amy is the business-minded partner, focusing on the finances, social media and behind-the-scenes tasks.
During a regular (non-holiday) season, they are baking, decorating, and delivering 20 to 30 dozen cookies each week! And, during their busiest times, the pair can make up to 75 dozen decorated cookies a week! Appomattox is keeping them in business!
The entire cookie making- baking- decorating- packaging- and delivering process definitely takes time. These delicious treats are not machine processed cookies that you’ll find in the grocery store. Sarah makes the dough on day one; cuts and bakes the cookies on day two, and frosts and decorates the cookies on day three. When the frosting hardens, the cookies can then be carefully packaged for delivery. It’s a multi-day process!
What Sweet Sarah’s Offers
Today, Sweet Sarah’s decorated sugar cookies have become well known throughout Appomattox and surrounding areas. Customers chat with Sarah and Amy about their cookie orders and what occasion they might be for ( for example: any and all celebrations -birthdays, weddings, bridal parties, bachelorette parties, baby showers, baptisms, sports teams, thank yous, pick-me-ups, etc) and what look they are hoping to achieve. They discuss shapes of cookies as well as colors of frosting.
If there’s a holiday you want to celebrate, it’s more than likely Sweet Sarah’s already has the cookie cutters to make cookies for it. They have Easter cookie cutters, Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day… and all of the other major celebratory holidays covered! And if they don’t offer the cookie shape you want, (which is rare as they are always adding new designs to their collection,) they can decorate a round cookie, for example, with the theme you’re looking for.
A few weeks before each major holiday, Sarah and Amy post examples of that holiday’s cookie design on Facebook. As the holiday nears, they meet their customers at several different public locations throughout the region to deliver the sweet treats.
One thing Sarah and Amy want you to know is that if you already know you want cookies way before a holiday, you don’t have to wait for them to announce their special designs on Facebook. Simply contact them and they will put your order on the calendar!
The pair of friends ask that you place your cookie order at least two weeks in advance, but you can also order up to one year in advance! This is especially great for brides and grooms who are ordering everything months before their wedding date.
Sarah and Amy also cater to unique requests. If you want Christmas cookies in July for example, that’s not a problem! Just ask!
Other occasions that people buy Sweet Sarah’s cookies for include anniversaries, times of encouragement, teacher appreciation, graduation, as well as business events and celebrations.
Sweet Sarah’s offers their decorated sugar cookies, classic cookie flavors, as well as other sweets like chocolate covered pretzels, truffles, and holiday chocolates.
Additionally, they offer decorated cookie cakes - which are always a fun and delicious way to celebrate a friend, coworker, or even your own accomplishments!
Sweet Sarah's also offers cookie bundle subscriptions for college students at Longwood University. These bundles are a mix of decorated and classic cookies along with other treats, allowing parents to provide a sweet “thinking of you” care package for their students. The treats are hand-delivered to the campus by Sarah and Amy each month. They are hoping to offer the same care packages to other local colleges, and are more than happy to deliver directly to your student at Hampden-Sydney, Lynchburg, Liberty, Randolph, or Sweet Briar.
The Sweet Spot
The sweet shop is located at 1780 Church Street, inside the same building as F&W Heating and Cooling, just past the railroad tracks (the former Garriss Flower Shop location).
Amy and Sarah are so excited to offer a permanent location where people can visit and sit and enjoy their sweet treats, including Sweet Sarah’s newest offering: homemade ice cream, made on site from Richlands Creamery’s ice cream base!
This location offers a central location where people can pick up their cookie orders, and they can take a peek at the other goodies Sweet Sarah’s has to offer. (Deliveries outside the county will still be on a case by case basis.)
About 75% of Sweet Sarah’s orders come from right here in Appomattox, with the other 25% from neighboring counties. The amazing community support has Sarah and Amy practically speechless. “How do you express your gratitude for that? What do you say? I mean, it’s amazing,” Amy said. “We’re just so thankful for this community,” Sarah added.
Be sure to remember Sweet Sarah’s for your next celebratory occasion. You can find and contact them through Facebook, or by email at sweetsarahsbakery434@gmail.com.
Remember, every day is worth celebrating, and cookies are a great way to celebrate! Treat yourself to a Sweet Sarah’s cookie treat (or ice cream!) real soon.
This article was written by Teresa Davis. Some photos were provided by Sweet Sarah's.
If you are interested in promoting your business, church, or charitable group (or sponsoring an article for someone else,) on the Appomattox Happenings website, email, and social media, contact Teresa Davis through the contact form below or email appomattoxhappenings@gmail.com
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