Lisa Bartholomew has long enjoyed baking cakes, but for many years only created her tasty delights for family members.
Earlier this year, she decided to open up Mona Lisa Cakes and sell her pastry desserts.
"I got it up as a home-based business," Lisa said.
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MIKE REUTHER/Sun-Gazette
Lisa and Sara Bartholomew present a tray of cupcakes at Mona Lisa Cakes, a South Williamsport bakery.
It was her daughter, Sara, who suggested Lisa take it a step further.
They decided to shop around for a business location after some cakes sold well at a bridal show in January.
Now, she and Lisa operate the business out of 517 W. Southern Ave., South Williamsport.
Fact Box
Mona Lisa Cakes
517 W. Southern Ave.,
South Williamsport
337-9149
Tues. to Sat. - 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m.
"We opened the shop May 9," Lisa said.
Lisa said everything is made "from scratch" and "made to order."
Looking for a cake for a wedding? An anniversary? A birthday?
Lisa and Sara will come up with a cake for that special occasion.
"We've done motorcycle cakes. We've done a lot of different things," Lisa said.
Mona Lisa Cakes also bakes fresh cupcakes and cookies on a daily basis.
But for the most part, the business is, as Lisa put it: "a cake place."
Lisa said there definitely seems to be a need for her kind of business.
In today's busy world with so many people working long hours and living hectic lives, they simply don't have the time for activities like baking cakes.
"What sets us apart is we can really do anything," said Sara, a recent Lycoming College graduate. "Sometimes people just send us a picture of what kind of cake they want, and we do it."
The business does make deliveries.
For right now, the two are just hoping to build the business.
With the holiday season just months away, they are looking forward to a busy time.
But business has been good in this first year, according to Lisa.
"I think we are off to a good start," she said. "We have regular customers already."
One of the best things about having her own business, she said, is the interaction with customers.
Lisa has a quick answer for those who inquire as to how the business came to be called Mona Lisa Cakes.
Her father called her Mona Lisa when she was a youngster.
