Holiday Desserts Big Business For Felicia's

Organization is the key as holiday bakery orders roll in at .  The baking schedule is set up around the pick-up date requested by the customer.  “We don’t bake it all at the same time,” says owner Felicia Revens.     

Revens is marking her 24th year in business this month.  She started on Main Street in 1986 and is going into her 15th year at 5757 Post Road.     

Originally she did the baking, but now has two bakers working for her. “When you are baking 364 days a year,” she says, “it takes a team to get things done.”     

Revens says that for her the bakery products are more of a traditional thing, including a lot of family recipes, plus some from her bakers.  “As busy as it gets,” she said, “it is something I enjoy doing.”  “I enjoy having people come in and getting something with a home style feel to it, not so commercial”.       

She agrees that her bakery products are high quality, because they are all created by hand, but says they are like your mom’s, which is what she thinks attracts and keeps her customers.  “I want to give them something attractive, but doesn’t look like it came out of a magazine,” she emphasizes, while also stressing that she works hard on affordable pricing.                       

The coffee and bakery combination has worked out better than expected according to Revens.   Coffee has always been the primary business, but she needed something to go with it, so in a community filled with coffee shops she says she became the only one to make her own products.  A staple is “Chocolate Seduction,” a chocolate cake which is a customer favorite.  She does make a wedding cake from time to time, but prefers to stick with an organized product line.  The selection can be found on her web site.       

The drive thru window has a morning traffic line that matches others in the area and is a solid part of the business. But she says volume is less because of the customized orders customers expect.              

 Customer tastes have also changed over the years, with a trend toward stronger coffees.  There is also more emphasis on health and Revens caters to it, selling hundreds of high fiber, low fat muffins every day.  She also has a gluten free product, for which demand is growing.            

Business is good with growth every year, except for a one downtick following 9/ll.  Revens says it is because she offers a lot.  “Where can you go,” she says, find parking, meet a friend or talk to a business prospect, enjoy a fireplace and great atmosphere, have a good cup of coffee and a product made from scratch, and spend $4.00 a person or less."          

Part of her business strategy is to constantly change, but to the customer appear to stay the same.  With a unique look and product Revens says she will stay with just an operation in East Greenwich and has no plans for additional locations.