Beneath the glass counters of Sugar Bakers in Dallas is a colorful assortment of sweet treats crafted by owners Donna Culberson, Donna Sells and Linda Sells.

Sugar Bakers, located in Dallas, is the only family and friend owned bakery in Paulding and has been creating their sweets for almost two years.

The family owned bakery, the only of its kind in Paulding County, opened two years ago after the three women found themselves without jobs.

“I had closed down my shop in Rockmart, Donna lost her job after 20 years and Linda was retired,” said Ms. Culberson. “We talked about opening up down here something like I had opened in Rockmart where there was more people and commerce. So we decided to give it a try and a majority of the days we are still friends.”

“It wasn’t a hard choice, because I love to cook and bake,” said Ms. Sells. “My mother was only going to help financially, but has stayed on because of all the business we have.”

Paulding Plaza was a good choice, Ms. Culberson said, because there were no other spaces around which accommodated the trio’s finances.

“This space was available and half of the equipment was already installed so we didn’t have to put anything in,” she said. “The flow of traffic on Merchants Drive brings in business as well, so all in all this was the best place for us.”

The ingredients in the recipes are handed down along with memories.

“Everything on the menu is from my grandmother’s recipes,” she said. “My nanny taught me how to bake and I used to go over there and she would teach me. We made cakes all the time and of course, I watched my mother cook. Our chicken salad, strawberry cake and pound cakes though are our secret family recipes.”

“My mother wrote down her recipe for chocolate cake before she died, but I’ve been too scared to try to make it because I’m afraid it won’t taste like hers,” said Ms. Culberson. “I remember the cake being so good with cooked chocolate fudge icing and maybe one day I’ll try to make it.”

Customer Penny Crawford said she came to the bakery to sample the petit fours on the recommendation of her boss, while regular Joshua Mitchell said he comes back for the devil cookie sandwich with icing, cupcakes and peanut butter bars.

“You can tell everything is freshly baked and the ladies communicate so well and keep you entertained,” he said.

The entertainment aspect, Ms. Culberson said, helps the bakery maintain return customers.

“When people leave we want them to remember how much fun they have in here,” she said. “If they come to get lunch, they are going to get a floor show, but they can also sit and relax, because we want them to feel at home.”

Though fun is a top priority, Ms. Sells said the women take their responsibilities very seriously.

“We want them to walk out knowing they got the best product possible at the best price,” she said. “We usually bend over backwards to make sure they get what they want, but we want them to leave happy and know they have something made with love that came straight from the heart.”