Miri Nadler, a former paralegal who’s become a social media baker and cake designer, opened her first brick-and-mortar shop in February.

Miri Nadler Cake Design (1317 Pecan Ave.) sits behind Milkbread and across from Stroke.

What’s happening: Nadler’s shop will primarily serve as a place to pick up orders, but you can also come in and buy a cupcake or one of her 6-inch signature cakes.

Why it matters: Charlotte is becoming more expensive, which poses challenges to small businesses looking to stay afloat, or for entrepreneurs looking to open a shop. But Nadler hopes Plaza Midwood is “made sacred for small businesses and not for chain restaurants,” she tells Axios.

• “I hope that for me, as a small business, with one location, I can be at least somewhat of a beacon of like ‘this is still local.'”

Details: The shop, which offers gluten-free options upon request, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am-5:30pm. Nadler’s signature is sculpting flowers and images on cakes using palette knives and Swiss meringue buttercream.

• Signature cake: The 6-inch cake costs $67. Nadler sculpts two roses and a peony.
• Custom cakes: An 8-inch cake costs $199 for a single tier and $309 for a two tiers.
• Special-event cakes: These cakes are typically for a wedding or large celebration. If the quote for the cake is more than $500, you can set up a $45 tasting, and if you decide to order the cake from them, the tasting fee goes toward your overall fee.
• Cupcakes: These come in a variety of flavors including vanilla, chocolate, pink champagne and carrot, each with a sculpted rose on top. What started as a Valentine’s Day promotion will be available through May. It’s $42 for a half-dozen, $29 for four cupcakes, $16 for two cupcakes and $8.25 for one cupcake.

Of note: Cupcakes and 6-inch signature cakes may be reserved with 12 hours notice. Nadler needs a week’s notice to create a custom cake and as much time as possible to create a special-event cake.

Backstory: Nadler, who also previously worked in marketing, began baking 15 years ago, which led her to create a blog called “Miri in the Village.”

• Cake designers in Asia, whom she found on Instagram, inspired her to learn how to sculpt buttercream using palette knives in 2019. She taught herself how to sculpt flowers and ended up teaching others around the world.
• She cultivated a following on social media.

My thought bubble: For someone who doesn’t like cake, I was pleasantly surprised by Nadler’s creations. There’s something to be said for taking bite of a silky and smooth cake that melts in your mouth compared to the typical sugar attack I usually feel accosted by whenever I eat cake.

Take a look around.