A woman quit her "dead end job" after eleven years to open the city's smallest cake shop.
Jane Stewart, from Bootle and living in Lydiate, opened her new business Jane's Bakes on Tuesday, July 19 inside a converted trailer on Peter's Lane in Liverpool ONE. It all started as a hobby for Jane, who used to bake with her late nan Pat growing up before she began making sweet treats for her friends and family and other followers on Instagram @janes__bakes.
Jane, 29, has now turned her hobby into a full-time career after taking voluntary redundancy from her job in a bank back in November last year. Jane told the ECHO: "It was scary, very scary, because I've got a mortgage to pay for, I've got bills to pay for. You don't know whether it's going to work or not.
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"My husband, he was the one that said 'you've got to go for it' because he worked in the same place I worked in and he left and that was the best thing he ever did. I think that was why he was like 'you've got to do it, you won't regret it.'"
Jane travelled down to Canterbury to purchase the trailer for £4,500 and spent six weeks converting it with the help of her mum and dad, at a cost of £2,500. The 29-year-old opened for business in Liverpool ONE this week, where she is selling everything from cupcakes and cookies to flapjacks, cheesecake and homemade lemonade.
Jane said: "I used to bake test for my family and friends. I thought 'I'm just going to go for it' and I emailed Liverpool ONE. A lady called Jackie has been absolutely amazing, she really helped me and gave me an opportunity.
"I'm so grateful to them to be honest - they gave me a good spot. There's lots of footfall coming past."
Jane said her nan would be "made up" that she's opened her own business "as opposed to a dead end job where she knew I wasn't happy." Jane said: "My husband and family have been so supportive. It's been great [this week], it's been amazing. Lots of people that stop have been getting pictures with the trailer."
Jane hopes to continue to expand her business in the future into bigger premises in Liverpool ONE and open a second shop in Cheshire Oaks.
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