true confections
by jessica klarp

Step into the light-filled, sumptuous atmosphere at True Confections and your senses are rewarded. From the smell of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls coming from the kitchen, to the rich colors of the interior design, to the lush tribute to artist Edward Hopper painted on the spacious walls, the business is a testament to the perseverance of baker and new business owner Carole Miller.

True Confections opened in January in the historic Grove Arcade Public Market, but that was after waiting patiently for the restoration on the Arcade to be completed. “I signed my lease more than 3½ years ago,” Miller said, “because I knew the Arcade was a great location, and after years of working for other people, I was ready to start my own business.” She has logged more than 20 years in other people’s kitchens all while honing her skills and dreaming her dream.

Miller, who was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, graduated from the Miami University of Ohio and then the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. She spent short periods of time in a variety of southern cities (Houston, Knoxville, Atlanta) before settling in WNC 15 years ago. She has worked kitchens throughout the area, from Highland Lake Inn and Richmond Hill Inn to Blue Moon and Picnics.

In between jobs, as she waited for the Arcade construction to be completed, she has done everything from paint houses to work for the U.S. Census. “They kept saying the Arcade would open in another few months, which made it very difficult to plan,” she laughs. “I did whatever I could do to pay my bills.”

And she used every resource available to her to get her business off the ground. “I went to the first meeting of the Mountain Micro Enterprise Fund,” Miller said, “but the most they would loan was $20,000, and I knew I needed more than that.” She went to SCORE seminars and took a variety of small business seminars from ABTech. “I also used the services of the Small Business Technical Development Center to help with my business planning.”

Once the business plan was complete and the Arcade appeared close to a realistic opening date, Miller approached at least seven area banks to get a loan. “Every bank I applied to for a loan turned me down,” she said. Not one to accept defeat, Miller then turned to the Self-Help Credit Union, which helped her fine-tune her numbers and eventually gave her the additional money she needed to make True Confections a reality.

With the loan approved and the Arcade open, Miller could focus on pulling all the elements of her business together. While Miller may know baking, she also knows how to pin-point just the right people (in this case women) to assist her in areas where she has no expertise. One of her first picks was sculptor and designer Julia Burr.

Burr creates kinetic sculptures out of her Black Mountain studio and does design work for select clients. Her award-winning restaurant interiors can be seen from Orlando to Beirut. For True Confections, she chose a luxurious palate of butter yellows, indigo, and crimson to complement the stainless steel of the bakery cases and the wood of her custom-designed furniture. “Like most small-business owners, I knew Carole had a limited budget,” Burr said. “It was a fun challenge to find the right colors and textures to create the mood Carole’s food deserves.”

The designer also managed to insinuate her signature sense of humor for those willing to look closely. “Carole makes such great desserts,” Burr said. “I could eat her pie crust by itself. So after many discussions as to theme and approach, we decided to use the pie icon in a subtle way.”

Burr and Miller then asked artist and local business owner Heather Gordon (True Blue Art Supply, Meridian Designs) to paint the Hopperesque murals on the walls. “Heather is an incredible artist on many levels,” Burr said. “She did my web site and I have one of her paintings in my home. I knew that she had the intelligence and the artistic ability to do Hopper justice.” The murals dominate two of the bakery’s walls and give the space a unique ambience.

In addition to the contribution of Burr and Gordon, a handful of women manage and fill out the staff of True Confections. “My front-of-house manager is a woman I worked with in Atlanta more than 15 years ago,” Miller said. “Asheville has a way of bringing important people back into your life.”

A positive attitude may be the principal reason Miller was able to follow through on her dream. Her advice to others wishing to start a business is simple in theory: “Don’t give up.”

“I couldn’t have done this as well without the right people to help me,” Miller said. “It is so satisfying to finally have a place of my own where I can choose the people I want to work beside, and produce the quality of goods that meet my standards.”
So next time you are near the Arcade or have a craving for something sweet, make sure to stop by True Confections and see where dreaming will get you.

Jessica Klarp is a freelance writer who lives in Black Mountain. She regularly contributes to a variety of lifestyle and business periodicals. Her plays are performed and essays published throughout the region. She can be reached at jklarp@aol.com.