AURORA – Margaret Butler had a “God Moment” six years ago that inspired her to open a bakery.
Her journey to open “Little Blessings Bakery” is posted on the wall of her newly opened bakery located at 109 Prospect Street. The location was originally a church and most recently Black Earth Landscape.
Originally from California, Butler moved to Aurora in April 2024 after living in Oelwein for nine years. She has worked for B&D Services for the past 10 years.
She has always enjoyed baking, but did not think of it as a career. As she took cakes and baked goods to friends, work, and church functions, people started asking her for specific things like birthday cakes.
When COVID hit her job was considered ‘essential’ and she was working 70 hours a week. She still found time to fulfill baking requests, asking only enough money to cover the cost of ingredients.
In the fall of 2021, she went to Kirkwood’s Baking and Pastry program. She did well academically but struggled with the Cake Decorating classes. She did not get a program certificate but considers the learning experience a blessing.
One of the classes was about entrepreneurship. She had to write a business plan and her bakery became more than a dream. But it needed a name.
“That’s when I realized that if you take a pastry to a friend of neighbor, you are blessing them,” she wrote “It is the small daily gestures that make a real difference in People’s lives. I wanted to see people share my baked goods as a way of telling others that they are thought of and that they matter. Hence the name, “Little Blessings Bakery”; although at the time I had no idea I would end up purchasing an old church.”
After her time at Kirkwood she started investing in baking equipment. She did not know how to operate it all, but she was determined to learn. In 2023 God provided a way for her to purchase a property. She looked around Independence, but didn’t finding anything that suited her needs. She then saw an advertisement for a building in Aurora. Twenty minutes into the tour she made an offer.
“I knew this was exactly where I was supposed to be,” she wrote.
She converted the basement into a small apartment and eventually a certified kitchen. The first floor was remodeled with a new floor and seating. She also remodeled a second floor into “The Upper Room” for small get togethers.
She is grateful for the help from scores of people with designing, cleaning, decorating, suggesting menu items, installing a Point of Sale system, running errands, etc.
“It is my belief that only God could bring all of the people needed for a project this size,” she wrote. “The are people who have all the needed skills, the time, and the willingness to help, at the exact time that I needed them. … My prayer is that this building will not only provide quality food, but that it will be a place for nearby residents to spend quality time. I pray that discussions and events will happen here that bring people closer together. Baking is still not a job to me. It is a gateway to my community.”
As the business is only a month old, the items available can shift day to day. Coffee is always brewed, and cinnamon rolls are a staple. Butler’s talents cover a varied of cheesecakes (whole or by the slice), custom cakes (birthday, fraisier), fruit pies, cookies, cupcakes, pastries (danish, cream puffs), muffins, and breads (loaves, banana, focaccia, etc.). She also offers gluten-free options.
She has a refrigerated cooler for soft drinks and juices. In addition to coffee, she offers hot chocolate, cider, and tea.
Call Little Blessings Bakery at 319-634-3240 with your requests. Business hours are Wednesday-Friday 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Visit the Little Blessing Bakery Facebook page for more information.
