A Fort Worth cake shop is being forced out of its storefront of nearly a decade due to growing economic woes.

After nine years in Fort Worth’s Near Southside, Loft 22 Cakes is having to uproot and find a new space due to “continued rise in rent and in operational costs and the broader economic challenges” that have likely plagued many small businesses as of late, owner Tareka Lofton said in a statement.

For the past two years, many small businesses have dealt with growing rent and supply costs, in addition to grappling with tariffs. Furthermore, Lofton said maintaining a traditional retail storefront for Loft 22 Cakes became unsustainable for the business’ model.

Loft 22 Cakes is known for its viral cakes that resembled toilet paper rolls. These sold like wildfire during the pandemic. On a normal day, though, the shop’s focus is mostly on wedding and specialty cakes. 

While Lofton called the recent change a “tough transition,” she said it opened the door for the shop’s next chapter. 

Loft 22 Cakes is transitioning to what Lofton called a “more exclusive” cake studio model that will focus only on signature cake collections, preorders, pickups and delivery for special events. This focus is different from the shop’s typical daily retail service. 

Lofton said Loft 22 Cakes is operating out of the kitchen in the new cake studio, near the Fort Worth Stockyards, and it will start pickups on May 1. The new space “will allow us to continue creating the wonderful cakes and desserts our customers love while operating in a more sustainable way,” Lofton said. 

In the interim, Lofton assured that Loft 22 Cakes remains open for business. Customers can continue placing pickup and delivery orders through the shop’s website. Lofton said the shop is taking orders for custom cakes, special events and seasonal offerings, such as its popular Bloomie cakes, which are 6″ cakes that 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.”