Today we’d like to introduce you to Tia Devette.
Hi Tia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My husband, Jason, and I had very similar upbringings in that we each grew up baking with our mom and grandma. Food was an integral part of our childhoods. We understood very early in life that it was an expression of love. In our seventeen-year relationship, we have imparted our appreciation for the medium to our three children. Although Jason and I had careers, baking always seemed constant. Whether we were taking pound cakes to church, cheesecake to family gatherings, or baking birthday cakes for our friends and their families, baking was a love language we were fluent in. We officially started our home-based business in January 2018, DBA Laila’s Wonderfully Made Goods. Laila became the company’s namesake as our only girl; she and her brothers (Zavier and Benjamin) are naturals in the kitchen. We signed up for every festival we could, pounding the pavement and getting started. This allowed us to develop an organic following. I started a private Keto group on Facebook, where I would bake cakes, cookies, and bars for clients and then meet them at a public place for every Friday delivery. This was a huge hit because it allowed me to expand our product line. We purchased commercial real estate in 2018, thinking “one day. “We ran into major structural issues with our building that seemed to push our dream further down the road. In 2020, Jason and I lost our jobs due to Covid. We knew inactivity was not an option. One of my Keto clients connected us with an older gentleman who owned an ice cream parlor in her current town, my old hometown. We met with him in May of 2020, and on August 1, 2020, we moved into our brick-and-mortar, DBA Laila’s Place. We are eternally grateful to God for His many blessings. We wouldn’t trade our journey for anything. We are enjoying the present and looking forward to the future.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It could have been smoother, as staffing has been one of our biggest obstacles. Another is the access to funding.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Laila’s Place is a family-owned, family-operated bakery and cafe. We specialize in made-from-scratch Southern classic desserts and delicacies. In addition to being known for our desserts, our name is synonymous with our yeast doughnuts. They are only available on Fridays and Saturdays (starting at 9a) and have developed a following of their own. We have over 34 flavors of hand-dipped ice cream. Once you’ve chosen your flavor, you can customize your milkshake, float, old-fashioned banana split, or sundae. Our deli-style lunch is available Tuesday – Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Our top-selling lunch item is our Chicken Salad, which we make over 80lbs weekly. Many customers buy it in bulk to take home and enjoy leisurely.
We pride ourselves on providing our customers with superior quality, freshly baked goods, and we are sticklers for customer service. We understand customers have a choice in where they spend their money, and the fact that they choose to support us continuously is not something we take lightly. It is our pleasure to serve our local community and the community. We know community not only refers to a geographical area but also to the spirit of connectedness. Everyone is looking for a place to belong. We are intentional in our service in that we genuinely greet every single customer who comes through our door, many of them by name. This is what sets us apart from others; it’s our ministry—being the town bakery of choice is a privilege and an honor. We have won the Reader’s Choice award for Best Doughnut three years in a row. We won the Reader’s Choice award for Best Bakery in 2021 and Best Desserts in 2023. We were featured on the final segment of WIS TV’s Carolina Cookin’ in 2021 and SCETV’s Backroad Bites in 2022. We’ve been highlighted on WLTX.
Please talk to us about happiness and what makes you happy.
Happiness is cultivating a servant’s heart in my children and watching them genuinely live it out. Happiness is seeing a child’s face light up as they watch their ice cream being scooped in front of them. Happiness is watching babies dance as they eat the frosting off their cupcakes. Happiness is hearing someone say, “This reminds me of my momma (or grandma)” as they eat our Chicken Salad or Pound Cake. Happiness is being able to go to work daily with my family and serve God by serving people. It’s fulfilling.
Contact Info:
- Website: lailasplace.com
- Instagram: lailasplace_onmain
- Facebook: facebook.com/lailasplace
