Hannah Slavens started Jamboree Home Bakery as a creative outlet. In less than a year, it has become something more meaningful: a reflection of how a community helps shape what people are willing to build.
What began with a single cookie decorating class in the summer of 2024 has quickly grown into a business rooted in both artistry and connection. For Hannah, the turning point was not just discovering a love for decorating cookies, but realizing how strongly others believed in what she was creating.
Photo courtesy of Hannah Slavens and Wildcrest Studio
After taking a local class, then two more, she began baking at home. The first set she made was for her youngest son’s first birthday, a moment that carried both personal meaning and creative spark. From there, the requests started coming in. Friends and family kept asking the same question: are you going to sell these?
“At some point, I heard it enough that I felt like I needed to take it seriously,” Hannah said.
That decision came with a tradeoff. Time had to come from somewhere. Evenings became work hours. Sleep became more limited. But what made the leap possible was not just personal drive. It was the push from the people around her.
“In a lot of ways, it was actually my White Lake community that inspired the business,” she said. “They saw the potential before I did.”
A business built where life already exists
After spending several years in Allendale while attending Grand Valley State University, Hannah returned to Whitehall with a new perspective on what the White Lake area offered. That decision to come home shaped the business from the beginning.
Jamboree Home Bakery operates out of her home, but its reach is deeply tied to the relationships built over a lifetime. Between growing up locally and working as the Office and HR Manager at Scheid Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, she is constantly interacting with people she knows.
“I can’t go anywhere without running into someone,” she said. “That really speaks to the sense of community here.”
That visibility has turned into trust, and that trust has turned into steady demand. The custom cookie side of the business stays consistently booked, fueled largely by local families celebrating meaningful moments: baby showers, birthdays, and weddings. These are not just orders. They are milestones, and that has shifted how Hannah approaches her work.
“I’ve become really emotionally invested in my customers’ events,” she said. “I care deeply about making my small part of their celebration as special as possible.”
Photos courtesy of Hannah Slavens and Wildcrest Studio
More than cookies, a growing creative system
What started as custom cookie work has expanded into something more scalable and unexpected: 3D printed cookie cutters. Many of the cutter designs originate from custom orders, meaning each product carries a story behind it. A birthday theme. A wedding detail. A specific request that later becomes something others can use.
Jamboree Home Bakery display at Muskegon Market & Mercantile
Photo courtesy of Hannah Slavens
That side of the business has grown beyond the White Lake area. Her cutters are sold locally, including at Muskegon Market and Mercantile, and online through Etsy, where customers across the country are using her designs in their own creations.
Social media has also become a major part of her creative reach. Hannah posts daily videos of decorating cookies on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Viewers describe them as relaxing, calming, and even helpful for anxiety or sleep.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to know that something I’m creating can bring that kind of comfort,” she said.
Photos courtesy of Hannah Slavens and Wildcrest Studio
The reality behind the growth
The momentum has come quickly, but it has not come easily. Balancing a full-time job, raising two young boys, and running a growing business has forced constant decisions about time and priorities. Most of the bakery work happens late at night. Weekends are reserved strictly for family.
“Being a mom is incredibly important to me,” Hannah said. “I want to give my boys my time and attention.”
At the same time, she sees value in letting them witness the work behind the business. “I want them to grow up knowing they can pursue their passions and find ways to make them work.”
The pressure is ongoing. At this stage, even small decisions can feel significant. Expanding into cookie cutters. Committing to daily social media posts. Managing increasing demand. Each step carries risk, but also opportunity.
Photos courtesy of Hannah Slavens and Wildcrest Studio
Where it connects back to the community
Even as parts of the business expand outward, the foundation remains local. Hannah has already contributed to community moments, including creating custom cookies for the White Lake Community Library’s twenty-fifth anniversary celebration. Being part of events like that reinforces what the business represents.
Photo courtesy of Hannah Slavens and Wildcrest Studio
It is not just about selling cookies. It is about showing up in the moments that matter.
Looking ahead, she hopes to continue growing both sides of the business, while expanding the availability of her cookie cutters into more local stores. The custom side remains steady. The scalable side offers room to grow.
What this moment says about the White Lake area
Jamboree Home Bakery is not just a small business success story. It reflects a broader shift happening in communities like Whitehall and Montague. More people are building something from home. More people are finding ways to turn creative interests into flexible work. And more often, those decisions are being shaped by the encouragement of the people around them.
“I think home-based businesses are really on the rise,” she said. “It gives people the flexibility to build something that works for their life.”
That flexibility often comes with sacrifice, but it also creates something else: ownership. This is the first professional experience Hannah has had that relies entirely on her own creativity and effort. That has changed how she sees herself.
“It’s pushed me to grow, learn new things, and gain confidence in ways I didn’t expect.”
Photos courtesy of Hannah Slavens and Wildcrest Studio
One year in, and what comes next
Jamboree Home Bakery celebrated its one-year anniversary on March 15. While the milestone is fresh, the business is already far from a finish line. In less than a year, it has grown from a home hobby into a creative enterprise with both local and national reach.
The celebration itself was simple—a weekend spent with her husband and children, away from decorating and deadlines—but the milestone highlights how much has changed in a short time. The business is established. The demand is real. The direction is still evolving.
The larger takeaway is not the anniversary itself. It is what happens when a creative interest meets the right environment. A class turns into a hobby. A hobby turns into a business. A business turns into something the community not only supports, but helps shape.
Jamboree Home Bakery is still growing. Its foundation is already clear. It is built on creativity, yes. But just as much, it is built on people who saw something before Hannah did and made sure she did not ignore it.
Connect with Hannah Slavens and Jamboree Home Bakery
Instagram: jamboreehomebakery
Facebook: Jamboree Home Bakery
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