Loft 22 Cakes, a Fort Worth bakery known for its custom wedding cakes, specialty desserts and viral toilet paper cakes during the pandemic, is leaving its Near Southside storefront after nearly nine years.

Owner Tareka Lofton said the move was driven by rising rent, higher operating costs and wider economic pressures affecting many small businesses. She said the traditional retail storefront model had become difficult to sustain for the company’s current business needs.

Rising Costs Push Business Into New Model

Lofton said small businesses have faced increasing pressure over the past two years, including higher rent, supply costs and tariff-related challenges. For Loft 22 Cakes, those pressures made the existing storefront less practical.

The bakery gained attention during the pandemic for cakes designed to look like toilet paper rolls, which became a viral hit with customers. Outside of that moment, the business has largely focused on wedding cakes, specialty cakes and custom dessert orders.

Although Lofton described the move as a difficult transition, she said it also gives the business a chance to reshape its future.

New Cake Studio Will Focus on Preorders and Events

Loft 22 Cakes is now shifting to what Lofton described as a “more exclusive” cake studio model. Instead of daily retail service, the business will focus on signature cake collections, preorders, pickups, deliveries and cakes for special events.

The new studio is located near the Fort Worth Stockyards. Lofton said the business is already operating from the kitchen there, with customer pickups scheduled to begin May 1.

She said the new setup will allow the bakery to keep producing the cakes and desserts customers enjoy while operating in a more financially sustainable way.

Customers Can Still Place Orders Online

Lofton said Loft 22 Cakes remains open during the transition. Customers can continue ordering pickup and delivery through the bakery’s website.

The business is still accepting orders for custom cakes, special events and seasonal products. That includes its popular Bloomie cakes, which are 6-inch cakes designed to look like decorative flower pots and include fresh flowers.

“Although we lost the storefront, we did not lose our passion or our incredible community of supporters,” Lofton said. “This transition is really about rebuilding in a smarter way so we can continue serving North Texas for many more years to come.”