Alice Garner was halfway through a planned 20-year career in the military before a cancer diagnosis kickstarted her second career as a baker.
“Twenty years was the plan, but after being diagnosed with cancer, I was medically retired out,” Garner said. “I’ve always been baking and cooking and did that in the military, too. I decided to try to start my business with cupcakes.”
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Garner is also married with eight kids, so she’s got no shortage of things to do after in her days since exiting the military.
“I never really thought about starting a business, but I’ve always loved it and sharing it with family, church, all that,” she said. “My goals changed when I had to leave the military, though, and I had to change my path. A lot of military friends told me my food was good and that I should think about it. I said, ‘Well, maybe I can!'”
Garner currently sells out of her home and online while also attending pop-up events throughout the area. But a grant called Partner to Empower is going to help her take it to the next level.
The grant program is sponsored by Brookfield Properties, and in May 2021, they announced a program “that addresses the systemic racial barriers that members of our communities face and helps business owners and entrepreneurs by providing retail expertise along with information imperative for growing a business. Accepted participants will receive guidance, funding and support in order to bring more diversity to our shopping centers, and in turn, better reflect the local communities they serve,” according to their website.
“I was looking into the Augusta Mall, and I heard about Partner to Empower. I was accepted into the program, and I took some business classes with them, and they’re going to help me get into one of their properties, the Augusta Mall,” she said.
She said the space at the mall will help immensely with breathing room and exposure.
“I have limited space in home for big orders, and a lot of people want to come into a shop as opposed to placing orders in advance, so that has been some of the biggest issues with the business so far,” Garner said.
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The timeline is in flux for when Garner may be able to actually open in the mall, but the beginning of 2022 is the most recent estimate.
“My favorite are cupcakes. That’s what I sell mostly. Cupcakes are the most popular, and my peach cobbler pound cake is a favorite as well,” she said.
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com
