Am’s Cakes and Bakes opens store in Medford

The smell of freshly baked bread fills the air, the different aromas mingling to tease your nose and make your stomach growl. The shelves are lined with goodies both savory and sweet, each one a flawless, golden hue. A custom cake waits to be picked up; inside the cake box is a library with shelves bursting with books, a sleeping cat, and letters waiting to be finished. Its creator took their time with the piece, capturing the tiniest of details so perfectly that you feel you could step into the box and select your favorite novel off the shelf before curling up on the cushion. It’s so lovely you might almost feel bad carving out a slice until the smell hits your nose.

You must be standing in Am’s Cakes and Bakes.

Amber and Scott Epperly, together with their boys Allen, Aiden, Austin and Ashton, celebrated the grand opening of their storefront on July 18, though this is hardly their first day in business. This family affair has been in the works for 17 years this month, and the storefront’s grand opening, while a culmination of the Epperly’s hard work and vision, also serves as another layer in their biggest dream yet.

Their story began on Allen’s first birthday when Amber, a major fan of the show “Cake Boss,” saw a design for a cake and thought, “I can do that.” She was confident in her own potential even if it took a little bit of time to bring it to a rise.

“I always say my first cake was such a disaster, I’m surprised I kept up at it,” Amber laughed.

But she did keep up at it. Amber and Scott raised their firstborn and juggled married life while she worked in human resources. Gathering knowledge, and equipment, was a slow process. She purchased her supplies and tools one-by-one, right down to the last rubber spatula. Amber is completely self-taught, taking what she learned on baking shows and practicing on her own until she got it just right.

And slowly but surely, their dedication paid off. “Before I knew it, I did my first cake.” It was a Thomas the Tank Engine cake, and she took a donation of just $20 for it. “I’ve learned a lot since then,” she said.

Then one day the regulations changed. Suddenly a cottage bakers law would allow Amber to bake out of the family home and sell directly to customers, an opportunity she and Scott jumped on. Amber kept working in human resources and selling sugar cookies on the side until the couple crunched the numbers and decided to dive straight into the mixing bowl. She quit her job in 2021 and the business was born.

It was a major leap of faith topped with hard work and passion. By that time Allen was eight and the family was expanding, and the Epperly’s were now tasked with attending festivals and farmer’s markets while homeschooling their children. Despite the demands of a family and a growing business, Amber found herself settling into the lifestyle change. Some of the headaches that can accompany an emotionally intense job started to fall away, and she had more time with her family.

She invested that time wisely and soon their brand started to grow. Amber is on the board of directors at Stepping Stones, and when she heard they were looking for a renter in their office space on Second Street she and Scott didn’t hesitate. With no small slice of courage they signed the paperwork and made it theirs. They started working on the space in May and opened in the middle of June, stacking their shelves with fresh-baked goods that never sit for long.

One of Amber’s specialties is her pan soboa, a yeast bread with soft slices originating in Puerto Rico. She doesn’t do sourdough bread because everyone else does it, but Am’s Cakes and Bakes is the only bakery in the area that serves pan soboa. She also makes a rustic white bread, bagels, and focaccia bread infused with fragrant flavors like garlic.

And it’s no secret that Am’s is wellknown for sugar cookies, though it might be surprising to learn that, like Snow White with her poison apple, the tasty cookies were once Amber’s downfall. “It would give me the heebie-jeebies,” she said. “I’ve been doing them the entire time I’ve been open, two years before I was comfortable.” She even began hosting cookie-baking classes. Amber once had people telling her she’d run herself out of business by giving away her cookie secrets; instead after taking her classes people say they understand why she charges what she does.

But cake is still where Amber’s heart lies. She prefers to keep her recipes simple, letting the flavors speak for themselves rather than creating intense combinations that might not hold up or sell as well. She sticks with classic favorites like chocolate peanut butter and lemon blueberry. “I know my tried and true recipes work, they taste good and people like them,” Amber said.

Once they took over the space on Second Street, Amber and Scott invited other vendors in to share the location. Decades Playtime Adventures soon joined them, along with Rosie Marie Boutique and Misfit Nail Salon. They’ve also made room for some smaller retailers, like Jessica who makes candles, glitter pens, and home decor as part of Hit-or-Miss Creations, and Tammy Jo of She Shed Tumblers. There’s also Carly’s Creations, owned by a teen who crochets animals, and Jersey Girls Lotion. The merchants benefit from the foot traffic while customers are offered a one-stop-shop for goodies and crafts.

“For me its the new faces,” Scott said of the difference in operating a storefront versus working out of their home. “You get used to seeing a consistent group of people.”

“One person got two loaves of bread recently and said it reminds them of home,” Amber said, smiling. The couple reported an excitement in the air since opening their little shop. They’ve received plenty of positive feedback for their selection which only feeds their desire to do more.

But there are limitations to what the family is able to do under the cottage bakers law, stymying Amber’s creativity. The Epperly’s can’t stock their goods to sell elsewhere, and all of their products must be shelf-stable. While the laws are in place to protect consumers some idiosyncrasies create more questions than answers, such as the rule stating that Amber can make goods using store-bought rice crispy treats, but she is not allowed to make her own. Amber can use store-bought sandwich cookies in her cakes, but she can’t dip them in chocolate to sell individually.

“I want to be able to do mousse cake and cream cheese frosting,” Amber said. The icing on the cake for the Epperly’s would be a commercial kitchen where Amber can bake and sell everything in one location. It’s the last layer, a dream 17 years in the making. Amber, Scott, Allen, Aiden, Austin and Ashton will dig into the next leg of their adventure the same way they always have. Together.

And what could be sweeter?