BIZNOTE FOLLOWUP: Fine Baking Co. open for business, grand opening soon

By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Earlier this month, we reported that baker Chely Smithgall was very close to opening her Fine Baking Co. storefront at 6971 California SW in south Morgan Junction, after a long process going back more than a year, waiting for approval of permits and getting everything ready.

We stopped by on Friday to check on the progress, and were welcomed by Smithgall saying that yes, they’re open! She said they had a “soft opening” last Saturday the 12th and sold out of stock, and have had a busy week of happy customers stopping by.

For now, they are continuing their “soft open hours” of 11 am-3 pm on Thu/Fri/Sat (including today), and 11 am-5 pm Tue, or until they sell out each day (the shop is closed Mon/Wed/Sun).

Smithgall said she is tentatively planning a “grand opening” event next Saturday Oct 26th, “weather permitting” because she wants to do a ribbon-cutting outside the shop.

Smithgall is already a well-known baker in the area, known for cupcakes, cake pops, custom cakes and printed cookies as a “home baker with a cottage food permit.” She said that currently she is the only baker at the shop, but will need to hire more staff to keep up.

Visitors to the shop will likely first notice the entryway sign with a subtle suggestion:

She said that her “main thing” at the shop is probably the cupcakes, such as these marble cupcakes on display:

She said her most popular cupcakes are Lemon, and Vanilla Oreo, with a wide variety to choose from:

Cake pops are a popular choice also:

Smithgall said she is grateful for people stopping in, and said their recurring comments have been “we’re so glad you’re finally open; we’ve been drooling every time we go by!”