The Bakery

Our story…

Maxie B's originally opened in Greensboro in August, 1985, as an independently-owned franchised store of I Can't Believe It's Yogurt. When we opened, many of our customers had never even tasted frozen yogurt. Through the 80's and 90's we introduced many new offerings to our shops—nonfat yogurts, ice cream, organic coffee, and a few pastries. When we "decorated" the stores for a particular holiday, our customers wanted to buy the decorations out of the shop. So…we began adding some home and garden décor that we liked, hoping that everyone else would, too!

We remodeled a few times and began to hear customers say, "This is not a normal yogurt shop!" Further, no one could remember our name (too long, and too similar to another yogurt chain!)…so we decided to give our name a makeover, too! The story of our name comes from our dogs…my husband, Lewis, gave me a pug puppy (Max) as a wedding present in 1986. Shortly thereafter, we got Max a playmate (another pug named Bitterman) to keep him company since we were both always at the shops! Both Max and Bitterman have since passed, and Maxie B's is our lasting tribute to the role they played in our early marriage. We'll never forget them and we hope their story will help you remember us!

Our venture into baking began very innocently… an accident, really. It was just a personal quest for the perfect chocolate cake. I was pregnant with our son, Jaxon, and I was craving chocolate cake. Not just any kind of chocolate cake….but the kind I remembered eating on Sundays when our extended family would gather for a meal. I tested recipe after recipe (my Mother was a cookbook collector, fortunately!) and decided that Devil's Food Cake with chocolate icing was my favorite—the kind of cake I like to sit down and enjoy with an ice-cold glass of milk. From that, customers asked if we would make various cakes….and we did. Then came wedding cakes, anniversary cakes, and more! The most special part of Maxie B's is our team of wonderful staff both in the kitchen and in the dessert café. Early on, our little bakery was blessed with two really talented women, without whom we would not be here: Shannon Peeden Barbee (our Event Coordinator) and Elizabeth Wall Volinski (our first, amazingly talented baker and decorator). They were the base of our foundation, and we have grown from their talent and vision. As fate would have it, Lisa Pierce Daniel and Olivia Allen found their way to us to form the most incredible team of cake artists imaginable! In addition, we also have a fully-staffed kitchen of women who take such pride in what they make each day (from cake layers to cheesecakes to icings and fillings) and enable our dream team of decorators the ability to focus on creating the cake masterpieces that we have become known for! Add in our fantastic customers and it is truly a great place to be!

We fully realize what an emotional connection that we all have with food… especially cake! Our bakery is devoted to honoring the time-tested recipes of our Southern heritage and fond, family memories.

And the story continues… We now have a new pug named Maxine in our family! Maxine is from the same family that Bitterman came from! She is a bundle of joy and LOVES to eat our pupcakes fresh from the ovens or when we take them home to her!