Lakeland grandmother sells out of homemade pies and cakes after video goes viral on TikTok
LAKELAND, Fla. - A grandmother in Lakeland is selling out of her homemade baked goods after a video featuring her small business went viral on TikTok.
Three days a week – Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday – Inez Hudson, 73, sets up shop outside the grocery store 'Super Choice Foods' in Lakeland. She sells pineapple pound cake with cream cheese icing, red velvet with cream cheese icing and pecan, and sweet potato pie.
"I do it all myself," said Hudson. "I got into baking when I was very young and it's just something I like to do and I just started baking stuff, you know. As years went by, I kept baking and selling. I started doing this for the church."
She has been selling pies and cakes outside the grocery store since November 2018, sometimes waking up around midnight to start baking. Sometimes it'll be very slow and sometimes she'll sell out. This particular Friday was a busy one.
People visited Hudson from far and wide to buy her cakes after seeing her viral story on TikTok.
Mannie, who is also a Lakelander, bought her cakes and posted a heartwarming video on TikTok earlier this week which has now garnered more than 400,000 views. He wasn't seeking fame. He just wanted to support her small business.
"That's the main reason why I made it. Not to go viral for social media purposes. I just wanted local people to support each other because that's the best rewarding experience," said Mannie.
Inez is retired and sells cakes to support herself as her fixed income isn't enough. Friends could not be prouder of her success.
"I shared with her, God said, ‘stop worrying.' Trust Him and he's going to make things go to where you're not going to have to stress. Gradually, more people are coming, and to hear it's going viral, ah! That's so exciting!" said Jamie Overstreet, a long-time friend.
Hudson mentioned that the owner of the grocery store doesn't charge her for the use of his space.
"I give a chance to a lot of people. She deserves a chance and people deserve a chance in this world," said Jimeld Zad, owner of Super Choice Foods.
How does Hudson feel about all of this newfound attention? It makes her a bit nervous, but overall…
"It makes me feel happy because I've been doing this for so long and it's something I've always wanted to do," said Hudson.
She'd love to have a company of her own, but admits she's getting up there in age, so for now this setup is simple, satisfying, and sweet.
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