Downtown Will Soon Be More 'Delectable'

They admit they’ve got a laborious road ahead of them—painting and pounding, putting up walls and peeling up linoleum—but cousins Erin-Renee Sierra and Lindsey Hazard appear to be up for the challenge.

Armed with a detailed plan and vision, the young business partners are working to transform the former S2 Seafood Soiree building on Marietta Street in downtown Powder Springs into the local place for “delectable cupcakes” and “gourmet cookies”—aka the Lily Torte Baking Company.

“I don’t think people will believe it’s the same place when they come in when we’re done,” Sierra said while taking a break from remodeling. “We have quite a vision, and I think it will definitely pop when they come in.”

That vision includes branding—new signage and a pink-and-black color scheme; repairing—fixing old flooring and other such defects that come their way; constructing—wainscoting and putting an office in the building; and deconstructing—taking down some woodwork behind the counter to make room for a giant menu.

But Hazard—the primary baker—and Sierra—the marketer and photographer—don’t plan to completely flip the rental building, which is part the city’s historic downtown district and has been owned by the same person for roughly 50 years.

With some help from their spouses, Irvin Sierra and Joel Hazard, they hope create a mix of historical and modern. 

“One of our slogans is ‘We have old-fashion baking with a modern twist,’ so we want to modernize (the building) but also remember the history,” Erin-Renee Sierra said, adding that one of the older features that will remain is the paneled ceiling. 

The small brand items—the business cards, the menu handbills, the polka-dotted cookie and cupcake delivery boxes—are ready to go.

The conceptual business aspects also lie in waiting and are all set for the grand opening, scheduled for mid- to late June.

Named after the Hazards' daughter and a European rice cake, Lily Torte will offer in-house seating. But perhaps a bigger chunk of the bakery’s business will come from special orders for bridal showers, birthdays and other special events.

The cupcake menu has so far proven to be truly delectable for those who have had a sample or six. It includes peanut butter drizzle, cherry cordial, salted caramel, red velvet and more. A couple of the cookie options are mint chocolate chip, oatmeal and peanut butter. Specialty cakes will also be offered. 

Sierra already has a card-making business, which will make it easy for customers to have uniformity between event invitations and baked items.

“So everything can match,” Hazard said. “You don’t have to get something over there, then over there. It’s going to be all one stop.”

Hazard and Sierra hope to at least partially remove the feminine stereotypes surrounding a bakery by also providing for tailgating.

“If people are going to a Georgia game, they can pick up their Georgia cupcakes,” Hazard said. “So we can appeal to men, because cupcakes generally don’t appeal to them.”

Another effort the partners hope will appeal to a wider base is giving their event room—which along with the kitchen and main room make up the three-section shop—a “neutral” look.

“Pink and black is very specific,” Sierra explained, “so we wanted to be able to appeal to people for wedding showers and all kinds of birthday parties—maybe even for boys or men.”

With these fresh ideas and more, the pair hopes to add to the evolving Marietta Street vibrancy and help their bakery become an integral member of the group of local businesses that comprise downtown.

“We really like the downtown area. It has a really cozy feeling,” Sierra said. “We see it revitalizing, with some of the new shops and . So when we saw that this (building) was available, we wanted to see if we could make it happen here.”