Black-owned business spotlight: BW Sweets Bakery

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Frankie White credits “failing miserably” for the success he has today.

The BW Sweets Bakery owner, who leads a team of bakers at two Charlotte locations, said he’s worked for years to learn what it takes to build a successful business.

Today, BW Sweets operates as a full-service bakery offering everything from sweets to breads, including custom cakes, cupcakes, doughnuts, pastries and muffins.

The location at East Town Market isn’t the first store White opened. It’s his fourth.

Unfortunately, the first time he opened his doors to customers, he had to close just three months later.

“I didn’t know enough about running a bakery. I just had this idea that I wanted to make cakes,” he said. “I thought I was going to open up the store and people were going to come in and buy cakes. Not so much.”

A determined White went back to the drawing board, however. He started selling baked goods out of his home until his products began taking over his living space.

“There was no room for anything in my house because cakes, cake pans, ovens, freezers and refrigerators were everywhere,” he said.

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“I knew I needed a small space where I could bake, and people could come pick up my products.”

The name of the business and its logo are special to White. He named the bakery after his son, Bradley, who passed away from cancer in 2011 at age 8.

White hopes his customers can tell how hard he works to honor the name on his business.

Currently, there are two BW Sweets stores -- one at East Town Market at 5820 East WT Harris Blvd., and another in South End at 1425 Winnifred St.

General hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

White has announced plans for a third location at Beatties Ford Rd. and LaSalle St. He expects to have it open in late May 2021.

In addition to the shops, White also runs a food truck. To find out where the BW Sweets Express food truck will be, follow BW Sweets on Facebook and Instagram.

For more information, visit bwsweetsbakery.com.

Cox Media Group