The front door to The Sweet Shop is a portal to another world. A

vintage Coca Cola machine greets you at the door and Louis

Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald send you a warm reception over the

speakers

The front door to The Sweet Shop is a portal to another world. A vintage Coca Cola machine greets you at the door and Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald send you a warm reception over the speakers. The décor features 1940’s and 50’s influences providing an old café feel with the contemporary mark of a specialty bakery.

Candle lit lamps top it off, with actual candles burning inside, and a stage featuring a drum set and a baby grand piano. For a modest space in an old-fashioned storefront, the owner, Margaret Elaine, turned it into a haven for pound cake fans and anyone interested in an escapade to a world of culture and class. Where is this sweet escape located? This bakery is black owned and located at 631 South Elm St. in downtown Greensboro.

The Sweet Shop specializes in pound cakes. It features any kind of pound cake one can think of from rum pound cake to key lime pound cake, banana pound cake to strawberry pound cake, and anything in between.

While there I tried their unique but enchanting grilled pound cake. The mark of a talented cook is the ability to invent new recipes and experiment with different styles of cooking typical dishes, and the grilled pound cake is the mark of a true chef.

Veronica Morehead, a pound cake connoisseur from Greensboro and regular customer said, “I initially came here to try the chocolate pound cake but by the time I got there they had sold out. I tried the coffee pound cake and although I don’t really like the flavor of coffee, the texture was perfect. I have been back ten times in the last two months.”  Aside from pound cake they offer coffee and other drinks, salads and other light snacks. On Friday’s they have karaoke, which turns into open mic night according to Tankard, and on weekends The Sweet Shop features live music.

Brandon Lee Tankard, the manager and Greensboro native said “The Sweet Shop brings quality home cooked food to the area. People get swept away by the atmosphere because it’s welcoming. We wanted to make all kinds of people, no matter their background, feel comfy here.” The price of the menu items doesn’t go over $4, and the free Wi-Fi and outdoor patio only adds to its charm.

• Katherine Witt, Contributor