Ideal Bakery

Debbie Brown and her mother, Ruth Garner, have been operating Ideal Bakery in downtown Cedartown for nearly three decades.

The business has been in continual operation at 509 Main St. since 1963. In 1985, co-owners Garner and Brown took over the shop from previous owner Bill Dupree. Longtime employees Brittany Cape and Judy Roberson assist them.

It's as much a labor of love as a business, Brown said.

"To see a child's face when he sees his cake for the first time is worth more than money," Brown said.

A number of recipes came with the business, but Brown and her mom also brought their own.

"Customer favorites include red velvet cake, German chocolate and Italian cream," Brown said. "We do a lot of birthday cakes and wedding cakes. That's the majority of our business."

At 75, Garner is still in the kitchen most days, creating donut dough from scratch or baking some of Ideal Bakery's popular cakes and pies. Ideal uses fresh dough prepared on site - no frozen dough.

"Cakes, pies and donuts are all from scratch," Brown said. "You can taste the difference between made from scratch and frozen products."

It can be a lot of work and long hours.

The shop opens to customers at 8:15 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. Ideal Bakery is open Tuesday through Saturday, and closed each Sunday and Monday.

The business may be contacted at 770-748-3016.