From left, Machelle Staggs, Tierra Downs and Jillian Graham work inside P-Dilly’s Cupcakes at 41 W Broad St.
(Photo by Seth Jones)
Meet Machelle Staggs (Owner) and Jillian Graham (Daughter)
P-Dilly’s Cupcakes is an establishment created to help and involve the community. Everything made in the shop is from scratch. The owner and daughter spent many months beginning their business, from scratch, in order to leave an impact on the community.
Owner’s Perspective:
Who Owns P-Dilly’s Cupcakes?
“I am Machelle Staggs, and I am the owner, baker, everything.”
What is P-Dilly’s Cupcakes about?
“Well, we started out because we wanted to offer scratch baking because we were trying to find a cake and couldn’t find any place that had true scratch products.”
How did P-Dilly’s Cupcakes become a reality?
“P-Dilly’s just kind of started as an accident that led from an accident in my home and God just blessed us. [For other cupcake businesses around us], there was a lot of premade frostings and things like that. I didn’t even know I could decorate. I had never done anything like that before, but I knew that I could bake …We started from our house. We didn’t have customers and didn’t really know how to get them, so I made thousands of mini-cupcakes and put them on the yard-sale signs for if you let me know how many people you have and what your business is, I will bring you free cupcakes … within eight months, we were within a storefront.”
How did the passion for baking begin?
“I always enjoyed baking. It’s something I got from my grandma, and I always made her birthday cakes every year.”
Daughter’s Perspective
Who helped create P-Dilly’s Cupcakes?
“I am Jillian Graham [daughter of Machelle]. I’m considered part-time baker and cashier, manager. I’ve got several different titles.
How did this business impact you growing up?
“With orders and watching her grow, it really inspires you to do what you want to do in life and to not be afraid and to have hard work and to see how hard it is to run a business. It does give a lot of motivation.”
What does this establishment mean to you?
“It means everything. I mean it’s given us a life I don’t think we could’ve had without it. I mean, we were struggling … we’ve met so many people at the radio station and Tech … those people make such an impact on your life … even Tierra [Downs] back there, our cashier, has made such an impact. It means everything.”
