Store closes due to cake decor cowboys

Shirley James has hung up her piping bag for good.

The 61-year old has owned BJ’s Cake Decor in Hamilton for 36 years after taking over from her mum Beryl James who started the business on Boundary Road in 1979.

‘‘I imagine there will be a few tears,’’ Shirley said. ‘‘It will hit me once I’m out of here, but whether it will be a great relief or a great sadness I’m not quite sure.’’

The closure is partially due to a decline in customers and home operators taking her customers, but Shirley also said it is time she got a ‘‘proper job’’.

‘‘Both for my sanity and my bank balance.

‘‘It’s time to prepare for my retirement in a few years’ time and start getting sensible about what I’m going to do and how I’m going to do it.’’

The original plan was to move BJ’s to another premises, but that didn’t work out, so she made the decision to close.

‘‘That decision has caused me a few sleepless nights. You think what could I do differently? What could I introduce into the shop? But it is getting to the stage where I don’t have the stamina and the youth and the excitement that I used to.’’

She said business has always been seasonal, but in the past few years it has significantly dropped off.

There’s a lot of unregistered home bakers and decorators who are killing the industry, she said. ‘‘Anybody can do it these days, you don’t have to be particularly creative. It hurts because they’ll do a cake for $20 and we’re going to charge $60 and they’re not registered – they’re not paying any taxes or insurances and so it hurts.’’

Although the past few years have been hard Shirley said she still sees value in cake decorating.

‘‘Most of the time it has been a lot of fun and I have been fortu- nate to have had a career doing something I love.’’

On Beryl’s first day in the shop 38 years ago she had two customers.

‘‘We didn’t do any advertising, we just had a sign up out the front,’’ Beryl said. ‘‘I sat and I waited and I stayed there until I had someone come in ... and they spent 75 cents.

‘‘On that first day I think we made about $1.15 or something ... I went to the accountant to see what he thought of it and all he said was you’ll be bankrupt in 12 months, but of course here we are 38 years later.’’