08/09/2026
What a week.
It actually started before the national spotlight.
MLive came through and introduced the region to our newest menu item, Croffles, after photographing Kaylynn making them right here at Kakes.
Then came MS NOW.
I found myself standing in our shop talking with Peter Alexander about business, politics, fear, and what it means to keep building when the world around you feels uncertain. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, Myrtle Turtle Kettle Corn made its way onto national television and around the table.
Then MLive circled back again to tell that story too.
And somehow, all of those moments traveled.
Orders started coming in from across the country. New names. New states. People who had never heard of Kakes suddenly wanted to know what Myrtle Turtle tasted like, what a croffle was, and what else this little shop in Saginaw had going on.
Meanwhile, back home, you all were still showing up.
You shopped with us. You shared us. You came out to the Lawnchair Film Festival. You sent people through our doors. You encouraged us. And while all of that excitement was happening, we were behind the scenes doing what small businesses do after the cameras leave: filling orders, restocking, cleaning, answering messages, troubleshooting, and figuring out how to keep up with the very thing we prayed for.
That part matters too.
Because being fearless does not mean you are never scared.
Sometimes it means your hands are shaking, your mind is racing, and you still decide to stand 10 toes deep in it and do the thing anyway.
That is what Kakes has been doing from the beginning.
So thank you to everyone who ordered from across the country, everyone who came through our doors, everyone who shared a link, watched a story, sent an encouraging message, or simply told somebody, “You need to check them out.”
We are tired. We are grateful. We are excited. And we are paying very close attention to what all of this might be opening the door to next.
For now, we are still popping, still creating, still shipping, still serving Saginaw, and still doing some things scared.
If you are just discovering Kakes, welcome.
You came at a pretty interesting time.
