Sweets by Morgan in Jeffersonville, Indiana
Morgan Coomer was born with the restaurant business in her blood. Her grandparents owned Ann’s by the River in Jeffersonville and her great-grandma was always involving her in some sort of cooking project.
“My dad would let me go to the grocery and pick out any ingredients I wanted and then make the recipe,” she said.
Morgan said she credits these early experiences for her creativity.
“I just had to clean up the mess,” she said, laughing.
Before pursuing her own dreams in the baking business, Morgan said she was unsure what she wanted to do.
“I wanted to do something creative and do something I enjoy every single day,” she said.
She started working out of her grandparents’ restaurant and making desserts. One customer was so in love with her chocolate cake, he not only suggested her opening a bakery, but he helped to make it happen.
“He’s kind of like an angel investor,” she said. “He still gets chocolate cake.”
Morgan found the space and opened in the arts and culture district of downtown Jeff in October 2014. With a little over 500 square feet, they pack a ton of sweet into the space.
“We do cupcakes, custom cakes, we’re known for our cinnamon rolls,” she said. “We do cookies, caramel apples and all kinds of sweet treats.”
“We do cupcakes, custom cakes, we’re known for our cinnamon rolls,” she said. “We do cookies, caramel apples and all kinds of sweet treats.”
The shop has a display case in the store that always has cupcakes, cake pops, cookies and cinnamon rolls for sale every day, but Morgan said the flavors of those items are ever changing.
“The day to day is what I love. I could go in there and make anything I want,” she said. “So, it’s really fun just being able to create.”
Sweets by Morgan also does custom orders — anything from corporate events to birthday parties. Their orders usually run a week or two out from event date, but Morgan said it never hurts to ask to see if they can fit something in.
All of the orders are done online at sweetsbymorgan.com.
“After Covid, we switched that process, and it’s made it a lot easier for us for it to be digital now,” she said.
They also have cookie decorating kits that can be purchased or customized, such as holiday, superheroes or other themes.
For Morgan, her favorite thing if she had to pick something to eat would be their key lime pie.
“Ours is so good,” she said. “As far as being able to make up crazy flavors, the cupcakes are a lot of fun, because there are unlimited options of flavors to choose from.”
The holidays are a fun time of year for Morgan and the shop as they are able to be even more creative with flavors and busy with holiday orders.
Some of their most popular seasonal items include pumpkin rolls, pies and cinnamon rolls. Many of the pies are Morgan’s great-grandmother’s recipes and the cinnamon rolls can either be made fresh or take and bake.
Some of their most popular seasonal items include pumpkin rolls, pies and cinnamon rolls. Many of the pies are Morgan’s great-grandmother’s recipes and the cinnamon rolls can either be made fresh or take and bake.
As far as the biggest challenge Morgan has faced in running a successful business, she said she does wish she had taken a couple of business classes when starting out.
“Getting up and going was the hardest thing, and it was just a blank space, so we literally had an empty room we had to make a commercial kitchen,” she said. “It was definitely a struggle the first couple of years. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes that you just don’t think of.”
Morgan said the shop benefits from the local creativity and a great group of local businesses.
“My grandparents’ restaurant was down there, so I’ve been in the area for almost 30 years now,” she said. “To see it from what it was where no one was down there on the weekends to now — there’s so much more hustle and bustle.”
Now that Morgan is nine years in, she hopes people continue having positive experiences at the shop.
“I feel like we have a great team and great customers so being able to just build an environment — it’s a really good space. We try to treat everybody like they’re our friend.”
– Morgan Coomer
“I feel like we have a great team and great customers so being able to just build an environment — it’s a really good space,” she said. “We try to treat everybody like they’re our friend.”
Most recently, Sweets by Morgan won first place in Taste of Jeff. The shop also won in 2018, 2019 and 2022. It was also recognized as the best dessert in Clark County, Indiana, in 2021 and 2022 and the best specialty cake in 2022.
Don’t pass up this local gem. Stop by the shop Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. or Saturday from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. •
For more information or to place an order, visit their website at sweetsbymorgan.com
Story by Darian Decker
Photos by Michelle Hockman
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