The sun was shining as a line began to form on a quiet street in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.
People in line were waiting to get their hands on a sweet treat from Ballard’s very first cake vending machine. The light pink, bright fridge is full of goodies, from cake slices to whole decorated cakes. Since its opening in March, the Cake Coop has gone viral on social media and become somewhat of a local phenomenon by word of mouth from hungry and eager customers.
Chatting with others in line, I learned that, for some, it was their first time at the Cake Coop, while others were returning guests who could not stop gushing about the delicious offerings. Everyone was extremely friendly and polite, not wanting to take too much at once, so that those who kept joining the line as minutes went by would be able to get their hands on a slice, too.
“My whole goal was just to bring a little joy to the neighborhood,” said Nicole Conley. “How can you not leave a pink Cake Coop with a slice of cake in your hand without a smile on your face?”
The Cake Coop is a microbakery operated by Conley, the baker and founder of Butter Half Cakes. It sits right out front of her home bakery, where people can come every Friday to Sunday to buy the goodies of the day starting at 11 a.m. until they are sold out.
Conley, who moved to Seattle in March of 2020, is a self-taught baker who started taking baking and cake decorating classes online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I had an eight-month-old baby, and I had just left my job in tech to be a stay-at-home mom,” she said. “I think we all know it happened in 2020. Things changed really quickly, and I was in this new city and confined in my apartment with a baby and two dogs, and I was just really looking for a creative outlet.”
That need for a creative outlet quickly turned into a fully-realized passion for Conley, who fell in love with baking and cake decorating and decided to look into what selling her creations would look like.
“I sold one cake, and then I sold another cake, and then pretty soon I was selling cakes to people I didn’t know,” she said.
And just like that, Butter Half Cakes was born. Conley said she creates custom cakes for all sorts of events, including weddings, birthdays, elopements and baby showers.
As Conley’s custom cake business grew, her customers began to ask if she ever sold cake slices, which initially prompted her to open the Cake Coop. Brainstorming different ways to fulfill that desire but not overwhelm herself, Conley decided to utilize an old structure she had built a couple of years ago.
“I had built that structure a while back as my pickup station,” she said. “I was thinking, maybe there’s a way I can utilize this space differently, or make it a little bit like self-serve […] and the project kind of spiraled.”
Conley spent a lot of time researching how to make the Cake Coop come to life, making it secure and easy for customers to access/work. She also had a friend who is an engineer who helped advise and brainstorm with her throughout the process.
And in mid-March, the Cake Coop was officially open for business.
Before opening, Conley said she never could have imagined it would take off like it has.
“I was hoping, obviously, as one does when they begin a new branch of business. I was hoping it would be a success. But I kind of imagined it would just be kind of like a casual spot where neighbors would come or, like, you know, a few of my more dedicated followers on social media,” she said. “I did sell out a cake that first weekend, but it kind of took all day. It was like a slow rolling thing, and then My Ballard picked up the story, and all of a sudden it was like a rocket ship.”
Now, the Cake Coop can sell out in an hour. I got in line at 10:45 a.m. on a Friday (mind you, it opens at 11 a.m.), and there were already about five people ahead of me. By the time I left, there were at least 20-25 people still in line.
The way it works is when you get up to the Cake Coop, you scan the QR code and order your cake on your phone. Once you pay, the door to the Cake Coop will say “unlocked,” and you will grab what you ordered. The whole process is super simple.
So, how does Conley monitor that customers are only taking what they buy and not stealing from the Cake Coop? Simple — trust.
“I think most people are good, most people have good intent,” she said. “I haven’t had any issues yet. But that said, it is on the honor system. Once you purchase and unlock the refrigerator, it’s on the honor system beyond that, and loss is like a reality of any type of retail operation, right? Like, that is something to consider. But luckily, I have not had to deal with that yet.”
Conley said she has a set menu of 10 flavors for her custom cakes, and she is essentially rotating through them for the Cake Coop and plans to offer three flavors per weekend. As with any new business venture, things change and adapt as you go. So, if you want to see what is being offered before making your way to Ballard, you can always check out Butter Half Cakes on Instagram, where Conley posts which flavors and cakes will be in the Cake Coop for the weekend.
During my visit, I got my hands on a slice made of browned butter pistachio sponge, raspberry gelee and vanilla buttercream for $13. The sprinkles of pistachio on top were my favorite part and complemented the buttercream, which was sweet and velvety, as well. The raspberry gelee added a nice pop of tart flavor and the browned butter pistachio sponge was rich and moist.
Conley plans to start rotating in a gluten-free option and a vegan option once a month.
“They’re not necessarily on my set menu, so I might be a little bit more inventive with those, and I also might throw in something new and fun and different in the regular mix as well. But in general, I’m just kind of rotating through my standard menu.”
Butter Half Cakes and the Cake Coop are operated out of Conley’s home, and when it comes to a line forming each day of the weekend, she said everyone has been especially friendly and polite. The line is only around for about an hour each day, which hasn’t bothered her much — her big concern was hoping it would not be too disruptive for her neighbors.
“We are in a really great neighborhood, and they are super awesome and excited about it, too,” she said. “Beyond that, my main worry is that I hope too many people don’t have to go home empty-handed. I’m doing my best to try to fill the demand that’s there. That’s been so unexpected.”
When it comes to future plans, Conley has a lot of ideas bouncing around her head, but right now, she said she is “trying to keep my head above water,” focusing on the present and making the Cake Coop the best it can be.
The Cake Coop is located at 8039 30th Ave NW, Seattle. It opens at 11 a.m. Friday to Sunday, and you can follow Butter Half Cakes on Instagram for menu and inventory details each week.
Abby Luschei is Seattle Refined’s assistant editor and digital producer. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
