We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Megan Bowers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

The most unexpected problems I have faced so far have been supply chain issues, ever changing and rising prices and Covid. When Covid struck, everything was turned upside down. Suddenly, all of the orders I had on my books were canceled, postponed, or up in the air. Everything shut down, parties and events were canceled, everyone was staying home and it really felt like my livelihood was in jeopardy. Then came the supply chain issues. Supplies and ingredients were hard to come by and the prices were doubled or tripled. A couple months after the shutdown, people decided they still needed to celebrate and enjoy the little things…like their child’s birthday. So, my orders began to come back in or were holding steady on my calendar. Although they were smaller in size (less cookies or smaller cakes), people were still wanting to celebrate. So, I had to adapt in order to still provide a service and an outstanding product to my customers. Since I work from home, my orders went from being personally handed to my customers to “porch pick-ups”. I purchased a cute little green drink cooler stand for my porch, where my customers could safely pick up their orders without compromising their social distancing practices or health. I also created DIY cookie decorating kits in various themes to give families something fun to do since most kids were doing school online. My husband is a battalion chief and paramedic and my sister was an OR nurse at the time and I used my 3D printer to print face mask extenders for healthcare providers. I was so glad to still be able to celebrate with my customers, help the community and my family, and to bring even a sliver of happiness throughout those dark and uncertain times.

Megan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I began my baking hobby as a child making Christmas cookies every year with my parents and younger sister. I also grew up loving art, always taking art classes throughout school and was in the National Art Honors Society in high school.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2017 when I was able to leave my administrative assistant position at a local university and become a stay at home mom to our youngest daughter. My creative juices are always flowing and I wanted a way to express my creativity and still provide a bit for my family, so I started making cupcakes for family and friends. Cupcakes then turned into cakes and then suddenly came my love of custom-decorated sugar cookies. One single order for pig cookies for my former employer’s Children Literature Conference turned into a sudden new career and Three Melons Bake Shop was born. It was honestly a full-circle moment.

The bake shop was named for myself and our two daughters because we all have what our family calls, “melon heads” (my husband is an honorary melon head). Special shoutout to my sister, Katie, who helped me in the naming process.

At that time, decorated cookies were just starting to take off in the baking industry, so I started off being self-taught by watching videos on YouTube. It’s been really cool to build my skills and my business as the niche has continued to blossom. I’ve been welcomed to the opposite side of the table these days as an instructor, which is incredibly mind-blowing. I’ve taught at many different workshops for my industry and at this past year’s Cookie Con. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.

While my main focus is on custom decorated sugar cookies, I also provide occasion cakes, cupcakes and wedding cakes. I’m incredibly lucky to be able to create mini works of art in so many different ways using such simple ingredients, all of which are edible. My love of art and baking has made an incredible opportunity to spread happiness in the form of food art, while working from home and enjoying my family. It brings me so much joy to think of how many wonderful celebrations my work has been a part of.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Honestly, word of mouth has been my biggest marketing tool. When you pour your heart and soul into your craft and provide a top notch service or product, people talk. People brag on you. They share with their friends and family, they share on social media, etc. Beyond that, social media has been another great tool. Since my product is more visual, being able to post and share photos and videos of my cookies is vital. Being able to provide a visual to potential followers, customers, and the community allows my work to continue to reach more people and grow my business. Being able to create the “wow factor” for people who may not have physically eaten or seen my product is invaluable and gets people excited to try it. I’ve very rarely purchased any type of advertising, unless it was for a fundraiser or something like that for our local schools or a local organization I’m fond of. I’m a firm believer in organic growth and being able to have your product speak for itself. When you accomplish that, you can continue to create without having to constantly focus on marketing.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Again, I think it comes back to providing a product that I’m happy and proud to put my name on. Providing a quality product and something that is customized to each client provides a certain enthusiasm that is unique. It gets people excited. I’m an introvert by nature, so it’s hard for me to put myself out there. With having a great product that gets people excited, it allows me to open up to people more naturally in the community more and create amazing relationships personally and entrepreneurially. I have done some amazing collaborations with other local businesses and each opportunity brings a flood of new inspiration and opportunities. I live in an amazing community where small businesses support and empower each other. We are cheerleaders for each other and it’s powerful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://threemelonsbakeshop.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3melonsbakeshop/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3melonsbakeshop
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm31tJ9fJNtoVQdyUoaCRBA

Image Credits
All photos are mine/taken by me with the exception of the DC monument cookies and my headshot. My headshot was taken by Liz Hopkins. The DC cookie photos were taken by Jennie Raff (@jennieraffphotography) and coordinated by Anne Book Event Design (@annebook_).