Sweet Revolution reopens its doors after a month of renovations

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Fans of the downtown bakery Sweet Revolution may have noticed that the doors have been closed for the past month as the family worked on renovations.

As of a snowy Thursday, the owners were happy to announce that they had officially reopened their business − this time with a brand-new look.

Now when customers walk in, they are greeted by two large bakery display cases full of pastries once hidden in the back, a large shelf displaying all of their croissants, a new view of the kitchen and the bakers in the back, custom cabinets and renovated flooring.

This renovation has been on the minds of co-owners Sarah McGregor-Ray and Debbie and Jonathan McGregor for years.

“We opened up about five and a half years ago on a very tight budget. Over the years, we were able to start purchasing newer equipment and newer stuff. And it was just time to upgrade,” said Debbie.

The main thing holding back the family from moving forward with the renovations was a pair of pastry display cases, which they initially ordered in December 2021.

Due to back orders, the McGregors did not receive their brand-new display cases until July 2022, which hindered their plans.

They initially wanted to renovate their bakery in late 2022 but decided to wait until January when sales were normally slower at the bakery.

Prior to their new display cases, the McGregors were using a used display case that they purchased from the University of Pittsburgh almost six years ago.

“We were pretty blessed when we started at the YWCA. We got a storage unit and started buying used equipment. And that display case we had we got from Pittsburgh University. My husband and I drove over there to pick up two for the price of one. But we only needed one, so we sold it. But the one we used lasted us for five and a half years,” said Debbie.

“We were never able to get the lights to work, and there were certain things we couldn’t get to work. But we donated it when we got the new ones. And it was pretty exciting to see, now we can use the lights to help show off our stuff.

“The old one was half cold and half dry, so we could only show a few things that were cold and a few things that were dry. But now, we’re able to fit all of the big cheesecakes, and now people can just buy them right off the shelves.”

With the addition of the new display cases, it gives the bakery the opportunity to showcase several items that were relegated to being stored in the kitchen or were made to order.

Items such as large cheesecakes, key lime pies, and other pastries are now proudly being displayed in the case.

In addition to the cases, Geoff McGregor, the father of Sarah and Jonathan and husband of Debbie, built new cabinets and shelving for the bakery, which significantly adds to the new aesthetic of the bakery.

“We're pretty excited to see how people react to it,” said Debbie.

“We've got a little bit more tweaking to do, because we just got back, and we like to keep improving whenever something needs to get done.”

Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Sweet Revolution reopens its doors after a month of renovations