When Mary Beth Baker first proposed the name “Gnome Sweet Gnome” for her fledgling gift shop and home decor business in Kingwood in 2012, she did not get the response she was hoping she would receive.
“Originally, I had a lot of pushback on it, but it’s actually been a really great thing,” Baker said. “I wanted to have something that people would see that would be fun and they would recognize, and gnomes are fun.”
Baker’s intuition proved to be correct. The store is still thriving a decade later. Baker brought on Sally Kelly as a business parter in 2017 and eventually sold Gnome Sweet Gnome to Kelly in March 2022. Prior to the sale, however, Baker leased space in an adjacent building to open a second business, Taste of Gnome, in November 2020.
Taste of Gnome offers an array of baked goods, including cookies, cupcakes, king cakes, cake bombs and other sweet treats with prices ranging from $3.95 per cookie to $74.95 for a large rectangle cookie cake.
According to Baker, she had considered opening Taste of Gnome for a while before moving forward with the bakery.
“It had always piqued my interest because I felt like there was a big need in Kingwood,” she said. “We didn’t really have a bakery that was a little more quirky and fun.”
Baker said once the space became available in November 2020, she decided the time was right to move forward with the bakery. She noted the transition from owning a retail store to owning a bakery, however, was not always smooth.
“When you do something like that, nobody teaches you, so it’s a huge on-the-job learning curve,” Baker said. “There’s a lot that we’re learning all the time—modifying our cookies, [learning] what [products] we can bring in here, what we want to add to the store. ... Every day I learn something different.”
According to Baker, Taste of Gnome is continually creating and experimenting with new offerings. She noted the king cake—a Louisiana staple resembling a crown adorned with Mardi Gras colors—has become a customer favorite.
Additionally, she noted Taste of Gnome offers Vertere Coffee, which is produced in Porter and sold locally in the Lake Houston area.
“I’m really excited about that, especially with it being local here,” Baker said. “When I say fresh, it’s fresh.”
In addition to a bevy of staples, such as cupcakes and cookies, Baker noted the bakery can produce made-to-order items when asked in advance. Taste of Gnome can also cater for large events, such as weddings and birthday parties.
Looking back at the early run of Taste of Gnome, Baker said she most enjoys interacting with happy customers. Looking to the future, she said she is excited to grow.
“We’re still learning,” she said. “We’re still coming up with ideas and trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t work. We’re trying to keep our customers happy with everything we do.”
Taste of Gnome
20 N. Main St., Kingwood
281-883-4814
www.tasteofgnome.com
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sun.
