By Morgan Bryce
Associate Editor

A local bakery is expanding and opening a new shop in downtown Opelika this fall.
Cakeitecture, owned and operated by Carie Tindill, will open in the former home of Occasions at 124 S. 8th St., a space nearly triple the size of their current location in downtown Auburn.
“We operate with 850 square feet now, and the things we’re able to create out of this small space is amazing, so I’m really looking forward to what we’ll do with 2,900 square feet in Opelika,” Tindill said.
A creative venture
Tindill, along with her husband Anthony, relocated from Alabama to Olympia, Washington, in 2010 so that he could pursue a teaching position at a local college.
An architect by trade, Tindill’s inability to find employment led her to baking, which transformed from being her creative outlet into a full-time job.
“No one was hiring. I didn’t know anyone, and I had no network out there,” Tindill said. “That’s what pushed me to try baking, because I wasn’t making any money at the time anyway.”
Through trial and error in baking, Tindill said she cultivated her cake-making skills and slowly grew a customer base.
Word spread, and Cakeitecture soon became a sweet-tooth destination in the Pacific Northwest, racking up the “Best Dessert Award” from South Sound Magazine and being voted as having the fifth-best wedding cakes in western Washington in 2014.
Back home to
Alabama
Five years after their move to Washington, Tindill said she and Anthony made the decision to return to the area to be closer to family and pursue the opportunity of becoming the first bakery licensed to create Auburn University-themed baked goods.
Following lengthy conversations and creating samples of her work, Tindill was able to establish a partnership with the school’s Office of Trademark Management and Licensing, which allows her to use pictures and images symbolic of Auburn in her culinary creations.
Relationships and connections made possible by the school played a crucial role in the early success of her business, according to Tindill.
“We had probably 200 guests from the university come through on that first day, with lots of departments and groups coming in to see what we were capable of. That’s what really helped us hit the ground running here and (keep growing),” Tindill said.
Plans for Opelika
Tindill said she and Anthony purchased their downtown Opelika space from local businessman John Marsh this spring.
The new location will offer the same custom-order opportunities like their current Auburn location, but Tindill said she has a few wrinkles in store for her Opelika storefront.
“With the additional space that we will have in Opelika, we’ll be able to divide it up. We’ll be able to have a production space larger than our current shop, seating, as well as office and storage space,” Tindill said. “(Another exciting thing) is that we’re planning on opening a breakfast shop … and offering coffee and espresso to go with that and other items purchased (later in the day).”
For store-opening updates, more information or to see samples of baked goods made by Tindill and her team, visit www.cakeitecture.com or follow the business on Facebook and Instagram.