Kylie Miller, a Shepherd University sophomore, has opened her dream bakery in Charles Town. Kylie’s Confections hosted a ribbon cutting on Saturday morning, as friends, community members and Charles Town officials joined the celebration. Toni Milbourne

CHARLES TOWN — Kylie Miller saw a dream come true Saturday morning, when Kylie’s Confections hosted its official grand opening ceremony, with a ribbon cutting event.

The new bakery is located at 130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 64 in Charles Town.

What started out as a little home business, Kupcakes by Kylie, has now developed into Kylie’s Confections, for the Charles Town resident and Shepherd University sophomore.

“My mom was always baking,” Miller said, explaining how she got involved in baking.

Miller’s first business featured her making cupcakes and selling them to family members.

“I worked in a bakery in high school,” she added, mentioning the experience showed her how much she loved baking.

In her mind, she had the thought of one day owning a bakery and sharing her passion with others. With the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Miller found herself at home all of the time, so she decided to spend much of her free time at home baking for fun.

Through posting photos of her goods to Facebook, she soon had developed a devoted clientele, who bought what she had been baking each day.

“People started placing custom orders,” Miller said. “[And now,] it has outgrown mom’s kitchen and dining room!”

According to Miller, opening her bakery in a commercial baking location came about sooner than she had anticipated.

“It’s a few years earlier than I planned,” Miller said, mentioning the opportunity to obtain her current business space was something she couldn’t pass up.

Since hosting a soft opening on Saturday, Miller has seen her sweet treats flying off the shelves, often selling out within hours of her opening.

“I am so thankful to everyone, especially to my family, for all of their support,” Miller said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which was hosted by Charles Town officials.

Kylie’s Confections sells a variety of desserts, including cakes, croissants, cupcakes, scones, cookies, brownies and mini cheesecakes.

Miller’s recipes for her delicious treats come from family and friends.

“A lot of the recipes are family recipes. My red velvet recipe came from my grandmother, but it was originally from an old church or fire department cookbook,” she said, adding that she made sure to add her personal touch to the recipes. “I’ve played around with some of them.”

When asked about going into business at such a young age, Miller, at just 19 years of age, admitted that she is a bit nervous.

“But I’ve always wanted to own a business and be my own boss. Plus, I come from a long line of business owners,” Miller said, sharing that her great-grandparents owned the IGA in Charles Town, which was later taken over by her grandfather.

“My great-great-grandfather owned the Sinclair gas station that was located on the circle in Ranson,” she said. “It’s definitely in my family to own your own business.”

When discussing her personal favorite dessert, Miller quickly named a chocolate raspberry cupcake.

“But I really have a new favorite every week,” she laughed.

“I’d also like to offer a venue for other local entrepreneurs to sell their wares,” Miller said, mentioning she has already started selling South Mountain Creamery milk and hot chocolate bombs and handcrafted signs from The Rusty Nail Workshop.

Hours of operation for Kylie’s Confections are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Thursdays and Fridays, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturdays. Walk-ins are welcome and custom orders may be made by calling 304-725-3880 or emailing kyliesconfectionsbakery@gmail.com.