The ladies at Sweet Disposition seem to have developed a knack for satisfying everyone’s sweet tooth — from the most formal of affairs to casual gatherings. With lavish wedding cakes, scrumptious cookies and nearly every dessert in between, owners Linda Thurston and Karen Nash are enjoying every aspect that their dessert shop has brought to their lives.
Coastal Point • RYAN SAXTON
Special-occasion cakes, cookies, wedding cakes, cheesecakes and other goodies are made fresh to order at Sweet Disposition in the Williamsville Industrial Park on Route 54.
“It’s a great business to be in,” said Thurston, who has enjoyed baking for decades.
Pies, cookies, tea breads and sweets line the ladies’ repertoire, though it’s the wedding cakes that really take the… well, you know. Newlyweds-to-be can select from a wide range of flavors, from an impressive tiramisu or amaretto strawberry shortcake, to the widely popular Kahlua mousse or German chocolate cake with buttercream icing. Raspberry-filled cakes have also generated a favorable response from clients.
Thurston and Nash have fulfilled requests for wedding cakes of all types, complete with “lace,” ribbon or floral accents. They’ve even prepared ones of varying proportion, everything from three- or four- to even seven-tier cakes.
“We had quite a few weddings through the month of August [this year],” said Nash, “which is kind of unusual. But now it’s full swing into the wedding season.” The ladies have their hands full as summer winds down, preparing cakes and treats for three weddings each weekend for the next month. Fall and spring are the busiest times of year for the them.
Nash noted that it’s not just locals tying the knot at the shore.
“Quite a few people from other areas come here to get married,” she said. “People like to be married on the beach.” Beach-themed wedding cakes, with white chocolate shells, are not an uncommon request for Sweet Disposition. “They love seeing that,” she said.
Special-occasion cakes are also big-time sellers, including anniversaries, birthdays and other celebrations. Their cakes can even take on different shapes, depending on the occasion. Christening gowns, tuxedos, bar mitzvah torahs, baby carriages and an ocean wave are just some of their specialties.
“We actually had a lot of 50th anniversary cakes this year,” said Nash. “I guess a lot of people got married 50 years ago!”
Cheesecakes, both full- and bite-size, are anther one of Sweet Disposition’s top sellers, and, why not, with flavors like Bailey’s Irish Cream-and-White, or blueberry crumble, or Chambord.
“A lot has changed over time,” explained Thurston of the bakery’s popularity. “Most people don’t have a lot of time for cooking, let alone baking.”
The two have had their hands in the food industry for quite some time. Thurston spent 14 years as the baker for Fager’s Island in Ocean City.
“I have had a lot of restaurant and kitchen experience, too,” said Nash, who balanced time between management at Fager’s and in the kitchen. “We decided to try it together. We figured it would be a lot easier than doing it by ourselves.”
For two years, the duo worked together at Reflections restaurant in Ocean City, before final adjustments were made to Sweet Disposition’s warehouse location in Williamsville, just over three years ago.
Merging their talents together, the women have been becoming more and more recognized by those who are seeking unique cakes and baked goods. “Our retail area is small,” said Nash of the location in the Williamsville Industrial Park, “but we’ve been able to bring in more clientele.”
“Once we got situated here,” Thurston added, “people started finding us. It’s such a growing area. Over the past four weeks, we’ve had a number of people come in the door who just moved here, and say, ‘Oh, good, here’s somewhere close that I can get to.’ Most people who come in here tell us they never realized that we were here, but they’re finding out quickly.”
During the summer months, weddings occur a little less frequently. Those that are held between May and September aren’t always easily accessible for the transportation of a fancy cake. “Traffic is a factor during the summer,” Thurston explained. “If we have more than one wedding in a day, we have to worry about getting from one location to the other.”
So, to help balance the business, Thurston and Nash bake goods for roughly 15 different area restaurants. The bake shop also shares accounts in Salisbury and Cambridge, Md. The ladies stay further occupied preparing lunches for local businesses on the weekdays, including fresh salads and weekly specials that include grilled sandwiches, quiche or vegetarian dishes and homemade soups.
With the approach of autumn, a seasonal variety of cakes start to emerge in popularity once again.
“Throughout the year, we have cakes and desserts with a lot of fruit flavors,” said Thurston. “Our menu changes in the fall, because people come in looking for more autumn flavors. They want apple pies, and cakes with a pumpkin or spice taste to them,”
“Business is good with restaurants around Thanksgiving, too,” she added. “A lot of them have a ‘last hurrah’ for customers and we supply them with their baked goods.”
Sweet Disposition cookies and goodie baskets are sold as gift items, nationwide, through the winter and Christmas holiday. And even with their hands full, Thurston and Nash often work closely with both local chefs and concierges services. Cakes can also be scheduled to arrive with a chocolate fountain for special events, too.
For couples looking to get hitched, Sweet Disposition recommends early planning. To request a cake or dessert from the shop, customers are encouraged to contact them six months prior to the wedding date.
Sweet Disposition is located in the Williamsville Industrial Park on Route 54, Lighthouse Road, 6 miles west of Fenwick Island. They are open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Saturday by appointment. For more information on cakes desserts and other services, contact them at (302) 436-3616, by e-mail at sweetdisposition1@yahoo.com, or through their Web site at www.sweetdisposition.com.