Meet Lauren Baxley | Baxley’s Chocolates, Co-Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Baxley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Our business began as a family hobby. My grandfather was a food scientist and specialized in peanut products. So he was asked to consult with candy companies quite often. In order to understand the properties of chocolates and confections he began experimenting at home over the holidays and that is how my father started helping him. As I grew up, I helped more and more with making chocolates that we would gift to family and friends for the holidays. When my father decided to retire from his career at Western Carolina University we began discussing the idea of starting a business. We started attending classes through Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center making a business plan and learning the steps to starting a business here in Jackson County. We were able to find a location and open our chocolate shop in October of 2015.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I think one of the things I am most proud of is that our business is a true family business. While the business is currently owned by 2 generations, the dream of a chocolate shop includes 3 generations who love to work in a kitchen together. Having my father and mother as partners from the beginning has been a very rewarding experience. And my partner recently joined our business and has just fit right into his role of creating delicious centers as well as always wanting to play with new ideas. I think of my grandfather often when we are working on a new experiment and know that he would be proud that we are always trying new things just like he did in his laboratory when I was growing up and visiting him at his work. Our motto is Crafting Sweet Memories and it brings me joy that we are now a part of our communities traditions. We hear about our chocolate going to a friend who needs cheer, a box of our chocolate being used to hide an engagement ring, or being used to celebrate the arrival of a new family member and I know that our vision of what we wanted our shop to be has come true.

I don’t think starting a small business is ever easy. In fact, when we first started working on our business plan I didn’t think we would make it. I had worked which enough small businesses to know how hard it is to find that perfect location, the start-up costs, etc. But I knew that if we didn’t try I would always regret it. Going through the pandemic made appreciate working with family even more. Having family to depend on and working with people who really know your skill set has made it easier. We all have different talents and have naturally fallen into our roles much more so than in any other job I’ve worked in.

I’ve learned when you own your own business you are never done. There is always a to do list. There are always things you need to learn or you could do better. And I’ve also learned there are times of year to have to let all that go and just focus on making great chocolate and helping the customers in front of you. I’ll never stop learning about how I can be a better business owner and no day is ever the same. It’s challenging and frustrating and fun. Sometimes it’s just one of those things and sometimes it’s all three. I love that. I think most entrepreneurs do.

I would like the world to know that our brand carries our name because we stand behind our product and we stand behind our counter. If you come into the shop, chances are a Baxley is there doing what we love best. Making delicious chocolates and serving our community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There is so much to see and do in Sylva. I credit Innovation Brewing with coming into our community and really making downtown Sylva a destination again. Their beer is delicious and the food truck next to them, Cosmic Carry Out are the best burgers in town. We have great antique stores like End of Main. Noon on Mill Street offers beautiful handcrafted items and you are sure to find a great gift for yourself or someone else at Snake Song. Mad Batter has been feeding me since I was a college student at Western Carolina University and their salads are a go to. I always take friends for coffee at White Moon in the morning and to The Cut Cocktail Lounge for the perfect cocktail in the evening. My partners favorite spot for a good steak is Lulu’s on Main and their fish specials are mine. I’m an avid reader so City Lights Bookstore and Friends of the Library are a must. We also have the most beautiful public library looking over Main Street and it is worth the walk up the 107 stairs to look a what an incredible job they did restoring our old courthouse into the Jackson County Public Library. I don’t think you can live in this area and not enjoy, hiking, biking, camping, rafting, and climbing. High Falls and Panthertown are amongst my favorite spots to go.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Absolutely Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center and Western Carolina Universities College of Business. They helped us with our business plan and getting started and continue to help us by offering wonderful continuing education classes, networking opportunities, and one-on-one business coaching. Most of these services are completely free. More recently we have also had great support from We Speak WNC who also partners to help small businesses.

Website: www.baxleyschocolates.com

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Image Credits
Terri Clark Photography, Stephanie Mathis, Matthew Turrington