Meet Carri Doughty | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carri Doughty and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carri, how do you think about risk?
I believe that the most successful entrepreneurs are the ones that not only have a special skill, service, or product that people desire, but that have the ambition and confidence to take risks in life and business in order to achieve success.

I worked as a Neonatal Registered Nurse for 25 years. I was passionate about my work and the connections that I made with patients and families. However, I experienced career burn out because I felt that working for a large for profit corporate healthcare system hindered my ability to provide the care to people that I knew was important due to increased work loads, short staffing, and focus on profit rather than people.

I have always been passionate about baking and cooking and had been encouraged over the years by many people to open a business. For a long time, it sounded crazy to give up my career and three figure salary. Eventually, I came to the realization that it was time to get back to doing work that made me happy.

In 2018, I sold my house to downsize, saved every penny, and moved to my hometown of Gainesville, Texas, and opened a bakery. I knew that it was a huge risk to invest in a business of this type in a small town, but I also knew that I knew how to bake well. At the time, I planned on giving it a year. If it wasn’t successful, I had kept my RN license active, and I’d go back to nursing if necessary.

Taking that risk was the best thing I have ever done in my life. Not only did my business survive the first year, it thrived. 2020-2021 (Covid years) were my busiest on record. My hometown rallied behind me and supported me so well. They weren’t willing to let me fail. With that support, and a lot of hard work, stress, and tears, I was able to build my own building downtown, transitioning the business into a Coffee Shop/Bakery serving breakfast and lunch with a drive through and cafe.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Baking and creating amazing food for friends and family has always been a huge part of my life. For years, it was strictly for enjoyment for myself and my recipients. I am extremely critical of myself with my baking. I love to push boundaries and experiment in ways that most people would call me crazy. I am mostly self taught, using recipes old and new. We are so fortunate to have access to professionals all over the world through social media, and I am excited to have the opportunity to expand my learning through videos, classes, and publications.

I think that what has set Sweet Jayne’s apart from other Coffee Shop/Bakeries is the attention to detail that we have in our preparation of our desserts, foods, and coffees and the personal connections that myself and my staff make with our customers. I am so blessed to get to do what I do for a living, and I always want my customers to feel that they are a part of the reason that I get to live out my life doing what I do. I always thought that I would miss my connections with people that I had while nursing, but honestly, my soul is filled even fuller with my connections and relationships with my customers that support my business.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Gainesville is a growing city and has blossomed in the 6 years that I have lived back here. We have an exiting little town with lots of fabulous boutiques, shops, and places to eat and drink.

Here are some of my favorites:

Paige Davidson Studio/Cahoot’s Handbags-Paige has an art degree from University of Texas. She has an amazing collection of handmade bags and clutches, Paintings with all types of mediums, pottery, candles, and gifts. She is a like minded creative person who was instrumental in encouraging me to follow my creative heart to earn my living. Her shop is colorful and happy and I love to visit on days that I am struggling to have a good day, she can always turn that around!

Bungalow 123-Kelli Hunter is an amazing stylist in clothing and home decor and her shop is an eclectic mix of home decor, clothing, shoes, jewelry, scents, gifts, and others. Sher dresses the Gainesville ladies very stylishly! She is also a huge source of inspiration for me as she also left her career to pursue her passion of business ownership, starting an online boutique in her house, then moving to a rented space downtown that she eventually purchased. Not only is she an amazing person, she runs a fabulous business and has been instrumental in inspiring others to open businesses because she makes it look so easy. She is a leader in Gainesville’s downtown association which plans exciting events in downtown throughout the year.

Kinne’s Jewelers-established in 1889 in downtown Gainesville. It is a full service fine jewelry store but also offers accessories and gifts. The store is like a museum with original display cases and even a museum upstairs!

Other Boutiques-Bella Bliss, Twisted Hanger, Harper Jane, Good Things, Infinity Raine

Floral Shops/Wedding Flowers-Vine and Branches. Carly, Lynne, and Keely are three generations of designers that do amazing work and have a shop full of custom created home arrangements and decor.

Eateries- Sarah’s on the Square-perfect place for lunch and weekend dinners.

The County Seat Kitchen and Cocktails-amazing drinks and food served in the classy, beautifully decorated space on the square owned by local entrepreneurs Chase Perry and Brendan Mitchell. They use Sweet Jayne’s Cold Brew for their smooth Cold Brew Martini’s.

Hungry Hippo Sub Shop-its been downtown since the 70s, and locally owned. Great sub sandwiches and salads!

Dieter Brother’s BBQ and Smokehouse BBQ in Lindsay, Texas-both family owned businesses with great food

Things to Do- Frank Buck Zoo and Leonard Park-I grew up going to these.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents, Gary and Monica Doughty, always encouraged me to do my best at everything I did. They allowed me to start babysitting when I was 11 years old, and I secured my first job at the age of 14. My parents taught me about hard work, succeeding through struggles, and happiness in life. They made me buy myself clothes, vehicles, and pay for my college education. They were always there to support me along the way, offering guidance and advice and were there to provide support if needed. I thrived on the pursuit of taking care of myself. I never resented that they expected me to work while also maintaining excellent grades and participating in extracurricular activities and athletics. To this day, my drive, ambition, and work ethic is all because of the example that I had in them.

Website: www.sweetjaynes.net

Instagram: @thesweetjayne

Facebook: @thesweetjayne