Despite the many attractions of the newly opened Sugar Hill Bakery -- its old-fashioned interior, friendly community atmosphere and distinctly homemade recipes and baking -- it is likely bound to remain a secret to most of Penn's students.
Sugar Hill's location on the 4900 block of Baltimore Avenue might prove to be a discouragingly long hike for most current students, but many residents in the surrounding community are responding with excitement and are appreciative for the new business.
The hope is that with the rise of local businesses like the Sugar Hill Bakery, the area will slowly regain some of the liveliness and vitality that has long been missing in the neighborhood.
"This area deserves business owners who are conscientious and believe in the neighborhood and want to see it come back and see a place where people enjoy not only living but also shopping," said Kameelah Mu'Min, the baker and owner of Sugar Hill.
To Mu'Min and other residents of the community, the opening of the bakery illustrates that the neighborhood is filling up with "little coffee shops and bakeries and butcher shops" that have an independent and individual aura, which allows them to remain "a treasure people can find," Mu'Min said.
As Baltimore Avenue Corridor Manager Eli Massar pointed out, "The opening of the Sugar Hill Bakery represents recognition that the 4900 block in particular -- and University City west of 40th in general -- is becoming a viable and interesting place to locate a business."
But Sugar Hill's link to Penn is greater than mere geographic proximity; Mu'Min is a recent Penn alumna -- she received her bachelor's degree in psychology and women's studies in 2000 and her master's degree in psychology and education in 2001.
Baking has been a passion for Mu'Min since she was 12 years old, but for the majority of her life, it remained a hobby. The idea that it could become a full business originated only about three years ago.
The project became serious early last year. "By January 2003, we hadn't written a business plan, [but] we had the name, we had the recipes and the concept of the old-fashioned bakery shop," Mu'Min said.
And after contacting the University City District, which has been actively involved in revitalizing the area's retail sector, things started moving along.
Mu'Min and her business found the building, found vendors for ingredients, renovated the facade and copyrighted the logo, but other small business owners told her that delays should be expected "and [that] things you don't anticipate [are likely to] happen."
Mu'Min and her husband originally anticipated opening by November of last year. But now, she said, "we are really prepared -- the neighborhood really anticipated us opening, and we were more confident in what we could offer it."
The enthusiasm of the opening, though, is not restricted to the owners. "It is plainly exciting to see a great business owned by a local resident open and be quickly successful because [Mu'Min] offers an amazing product, and the community recognizes it," Massar said.
Now having opened, Mu'Min and her husband are working on what she describes as 24-hour shifts, making sure that both her local and wholesale customers are satisfied.
"I haven't gotten tired of it -- I have been exhausted, but that's different," Mu'Min said. "The pace is really hectic, but we are enjoying it."
