Cawley’s Confections, 105 Public Square No. 1 in LaGrange, is a bakery that serves fresh-baked goods daily made from scratch.
Since August 2021, the woman/veteran-owned bakery, which doubles as an espresso bar, offers scones, cookies, brownies, muffins and much more, as well as a variety of drinks, according to Shayna Adkins, manager of Cawley’s Confections.
Scones seem to be a best-selling item in both sweet and savory flavors, Adkins said.
“Those are all fresh baked every day, homemade here,” she said. “Our most sold item is probably our bacon cheddar chive scone.”
Including specialty coffees, guests can find lattes, mochas, teas, homemade lemonades and lotus energy drinks to choose from, with the caramel cheesecake mocha being one of the most popular, Adkins said.
Cawley’s Confections also has fruit-flavored “popping pearls,” which she said are a hit among youngsters.
“We do a lot of drinks with those,” Adkins said.
According to owner Amber Cawley, lotus energy drinks are a specialty, which are a new, fun and healthier energy drink alternative.
Derived from lotus plants, the concentrate is available for teas and lemonades for energy without the extra flavor, Cawley said.
“It’s a full-on plant-based energy drink; we’ve switched a lot of the Monster and Red Bull drinkers over to the lotus because it’s still more energy than a cup of coffee,” she said. “It’s very similar to drinking Red Bull; it’s just a lot healthier, no chemicals, no additives.”
Cawley also accepts custom orders for cakes, cupcakes and cookies and has accommodated different events in the past such as birthday and anniversary parties.
After operating an in-home baking business since 2018, Cawley said she inquired about renting the space after it had set vacant.
She said she found it as the perfect opportunity to live her dream of owning a coffee shop mixed with a bakery.
“I always wanted to open a coffee shop and some of the baked goods that I wanted to do were like cheesecakes,” Cawley said. “But, I can’t legally sell them out of my house, so I wanted to incorporate that into the whole storefront as well.
“That was a big thing for us; to be a scratch bakery, fresh daily.”
Cawley’s Confection’s has received the community’s support since its inception, but it also has given back, Cawley said.
For example, the bakery usually hosts photo fundraisers twice a year, which includes photos with the Easter bunny and Santa Claus, to give back to local nonprofits and community organizations supporting veterans, sports teams and school dances, she said.
Through the photo fundraising events, over $3,000 has been raised and donated toward different programs, Cawley said.
“Without this community, we wouldn’t be here, so we give back as much as we can,” she said. “We absolutely love the community, and it seems the community loves us back just as much.”
