Written by Andrew Reneau
Walking into WildFlour Bakery presents a mix of simplicity and funk. The walls? A combination of pearl white and dark purple. The lights? Diverse. The welcome sign is rainbow, the interior is illuminated by white lights hanging from a tall ceiling and a set of changing colored bulbs hovers above the counter.
Teresah Johnson owns the storefront and operates it with her family, but her entrepreneurial spirit began in her father’s jewelry store, back before she owned her store.
“I grew up on Spring Street,” Johnson said. “I spent every day of my life for the first ten years in that jewelry store.”
For Johnson, baking and small businesses are two passions she has never lost.
“If baking can bring joy to someone in any way, then why wouldn’t I want to spread that joy to other people?” Johnson said.
She began cooking in her kitchen in 2017 and quickly progressed to selling cupcakes and her take on an oatmeal cream pie at a farmer’s market. Johnson recalled setting up her tent with tables, chairs and displays she moved using her minivan. She had six cupcake flavors and sold them in hundred-degree weather.
Johnson said she began to see her future in a storefront after she purchased her food truck.
“Once I got the food truck, that’s when everything really started falling into place,” Johnson said.
Junior Kenzie James remembers visiting Johnson’s food truck while filming a package for student-run TV station HU16.
“It was a very colorful pastel truck,” James said. “I think it caters to a lot of what teenagers are looking for now, like cheaper, more affordable snacks.”
Today, Johnson’s sells cupcakes from her store on Spring Street, nestled between Quattlebaum Music Center and Burrito Day. She still offers the six flavors she sold at the farmer’s market but has added another six that change each week. Her favorite cupcake flavors are all except chocolate—she particularly enjoys coffee-flavored items.
“If you have a passion, then I fully believe that God gave you that passion for a reason, and we should try to do something with it,” Johnson said.
