After over a decade of creating cakes and baked goods for those in the Chico community, Lovely Layers Cakery is bidding farewell to its storefront.
Owner Emily Zimmerman initially envisioned a solo operation, baking cakes and cupcakes for friends and family from home.
“I started with the intention of just being able to pay my bills, do cakes for people, and get to know them and who the cake was for, and just kind of work for myself and do what I love,” Zimmerman said.
There was no plan for a storefront, but the business gradually grew. Lovely Layers Cakery has now been in business for nearly 13 years, with a storefront and four full-time employees.
Despite various obstacles throughout the years, including surviving the Camp Fire and the COVID-19 pandemic, Zimmerman persevered and continued to adapt her business.
“With the economy and how things have kind of been on a downward spiral, people are spending their money on groceries and gas and necessities. [They] are not necessarily going to spend $100 on a birthday cake,” Zimmerman said.
She recently made the difficult decision to close the shop due to the overwhelming costs.
“Employees are very expensive, utilities are ridiculous, taxes are ridiculous, payroll taxes, income taxes, gas, food costs is probably the number one,” Zimmerman said. “Commissions to delivery companies that deliver our food for us, and credit card fees, all of these added business costs just were killing me.”
She said she was forced to dip into her savings account repeatedly and reached a breaking point.
“I made the decision that I have to close the storefront when I took the last $4,000 out of mine and my husband's savings account to pay payroll taxes,” she said. “It was basically like, well, you're out of money, so there's really no way to continue.”

While the closure presents a significant challenge, she expressed sincere gratitude for the community's support throughout the years.
“Just seeing people come back year after year, and kind of seeing how their lives are growing and changing, and just being a part of it is really special to me,” she said.
Even though the storefront is closing, Zimmerman said this isn't the end of her business. Beginning in 2025, she will continue selling cakes from her Cruising Cakery Rolling Bakery.
“I love all of my customers and I appreciate everybody so much, all of your support,” Zimmerman said. “And I look forward to staying around. I'm not closing, I'm not going away. So please continue to put your orders in with me, and I will be there to fulfill them and to make amazing cakes for you.”
The mobile truck will be parked around Chico and Zimmerman is hopeful that patrons will purchase their baked goods there once the storefront closes.
“I'm also going to be renting commercial kitchen space for all the things I need to bake in a commercial space,” Zimmerman said. “So between my home and commercial kitchen, I'm going to be baking.”
The storefront’s last day will be Saturday, Dec. 21.