Today we’d like to introduce you to John Hensley
Hi John, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Since the last time I spoke with Voyage LA a lot has happened. At the end of 2019, we faced the most serious challenge we had ever encountered as a business; the COVID-19 pandemic. I can remember it like it was yesterday. One day everything is running business as usual, then without much warning, everything was ordered shut down. I wasn’t sure how we were gong to navigate it. What would happen to my employees? How could we keep everyone safe? What would happen to the customers who had ordered in advance for weddings and other special events? How were we going to pay the rent? It was an overwhelming time filled with anxiety and trepidation.
But I had some great people working for me and they stepped up when I needed it most. One of them took charge and overnight created an on-line ordering system. To that point we were still doing everything by phone and hand written orders. We didn’t offer delivery except for weddings. This person set everything up within 24 hours and all of a sudden we had an e-commerce platform.
The head of the kitchen said she could come everyday and continue to do all the orders. She baked and decorated everything herself. I told her I’d come everyday and deliver them to all the customers. So there we were, both masked up, keeping our physical distance, ready to go to work and wondering if anyone would order.
We found people wanted something to take their minds off the sadness and isolation of COVID and ordering cakes was a sweet treat that brought them happiness. Soon we were busy as ever!
We made it through COVID, and came out the other side a much better company. We found the value of technology and providing customers with the ease and convenience of 24 hour ordering and delivery right to their door.
Right before COVID hit, we had been looking for a new location to replace our Pasadena location and add a bigger kitchen. COVID put these plans on hold, but as we emerged from the pandemic, our search for a new Pasadena location resumed. We found a perfect building on Fair Oaks Ave. in Altadena in late fall of 2021. Because the building was fairly large, I had the vision of creating not only a new Lark Cake Shop retail and kitchen, but also having a ghost kitchen community consisting of 4 restaurants and a coffee truck called the Altadena Food Village. I was extremely excited and couldn’t wait to get it up and running.
My excitement turned to frustration as I navigated the dizzying and truly horrible experience of dealing with the County of Los Angeles building departments. This was a two year odyssey of one issue after another, with some stories you wouldn’t even believe if I told you. It seemed the County’s only job was to make it virtually impossible to get our building built in a timely manner. Finally, with the help of a few local politicians, I was able to get the project on track. We started construction in November 2024 and were shooting for an April 2025 opening.
On January 7, 2025 everything was on going great. The plumbing was complete, and the new concrete floor that had been poured the week before had finally cured. The next morning, a crew of framers were coming in to frame up the kitchens. That afternoon, I stopped by the building to take a look at the floors on my way home from Silver Lake. I was taken aback as got out of my car, the wind violently whipping down the street, rattling the street signs and making it difficult to open the building door. Palm fronds and other debris flew through the air. It was pretty scary.
That night at my home in the San Gabriel valley, I went out to my driveway around 7pm to tend to a tree that had fallen. With the wind screaming all around me, I inspected the tree and I then noticed an orange glow in the far off distance. “Oh no,” I remember saying aloud to my wife who turned around and looked at the mountains as well. A large fire had broken out and it didn’t look good.
I texted my contractor later that night and we both tried to reassure each other that the building wasn’t close enough to the mountains to be effected. I didn’t sleep much that night. It was helpless feeling of hoping everything would be okay.
The next day I would find out things weren’t okay. The building, like most of Altadena had burnt down. Those 3 years of blood, sweat and tears, were gone in mere minutes. It was heartbreaking.
But everyone I knew in Altadena lost their homes, which put everything in perspective for me. Losing a business building isn’t remotely comparable to losing a home. Those that lost their homes, their memories, their place of refuge, my heart absolutely breaks for them. This is a true tragedy.
I plan to rebuild and am going to do everything in my power to make it happen. I hope the politicians and local leaders who say they want to help and cut the red tape really do. In the meantime, we will continue to operate Lark Cake Shop in Silver Lake and provide wonderful cakes and service to all of those who support us.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Lark Cake Shop?
Founded in 2007, Lark Cake Shop is committed to providing wonderful handmade cakes and cupcakes. We are committed to using only the finest ingredients and providing a wonderful experience for all our guests, We are honored to be have been a part of so many milestone moments for people all across Los Angeles. From A-list celebrities to our local neighbors, we’re at your weddings, graduations, children’s birthdays and so much more. It’s truly a privilege to be a part of something so special.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Purchasing a small business with no experience in baking was a major risk. But I didn’t make the decision on a whim. I carefully ran numbers and was honest with myself about my skill set and what I felt I could and could not do. Once the homework was done and I felt confident in my conclusion, I was all in and never looked back. You can’t worry about risk after you’ve taken it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://larkcakeshop.com
- Instagram: @larkcakeshop
- Facebook: @larkcakeshop
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