When Justina Reeves fires up her mixer, she’s not just baking cakes. She’s continuing a lifelong passion that has carried her through motherhood, loss, and starting over. Together with her husband, Ryan, she’s turned her love of baking into a thriving custom cake and dessert business called Cakes Baby!

Reeves began baking when she was just 6 years old, making desserts from scratch every night for her family. “It’s always been who I am,” she said. After raising four boys as a stay-at-home mom, she formally launched her business on the Fourth of July in 2013 in Eldon, Missouri, a small town near Lake of the Ozarks. “My birthday for the business is America’s birthday too,” she laughed.

Her storefront there grew quickly, drawing statewide recognition. For five straight years, she won Best Bakery where she lived. Weddings, birthdays, and gender-reveal cakes became her specialty, but she prided herself on doing “literally anything under the sun” for customers.

Moving West

Life brought Reeves and her family to Colorado after tragedy struck in 2021. Her son Cameron died at age 22, and returning to her Missouri storefront triggered waves of grief. She closed the doors and headed west to be near family in Grand Junction.

It was, she said, both a leap of faith and a survival instinct. “I knew I had to heal. I didn’t want to lose the person I was.” She packed up her mixers — “as long as I had my mixers, I knew I’d be okay” — and moved with her three remaining sons.

Her boys, now ages 21 and 18, are active in the bakery. Caden co-bakes alongside her, while Connor helps with cookies, packaging, and organizing. “They wanted to be part of this,” Reeves said. “That’s made it so much easier. It used to just be me working 18- to 24-hour days.”

Ryan, whose background is in flooring, joined the venture after the two met in Colorado. Health issues kept him from continuing his trade, so he shifted into transportation and sales for the bakery. “We’ve really rounded things out,” she said. “Now it’s a true family business.”

The Camper Bakery

The couple first ran a unit at Mesa Mall in Grand Junction but soon sought a new direction. Rising rent and a desire for more community connection convinced them to try something different. Inspired by the show Fixer Upper, they bought a vintage 1979 camper and converted it into a rose-gold mobile bakery.

“At first we were just praying it would work,” Justina said. Free samples helped them build a following, and before long, the quality of her cakes and cupcakes spoke for itself.

Last fall, the Reeveses relocated to Montrose, where Ryan grew up. They opened their camper bakery downtown in November with a ribbon-cutting that coincided with Cameron’s birthday. “It felt like it was meant to be,” she said.

They regularly park at the Pocket Park in downtown Montrose and frequent festivals in the area.

Since then, they’ve immersed themselves in the local scene, serving at events and building relationships with other small business owners. “This community is amazing,” Justina said. “The kindness here, the atmosphere — it’s been so healing for us.”

A Custom Approach

The Reeves bakery specializes in fully custom cakes for weddings, birthdays, and special occasions, but their storefront setup also features a “mix-and-match” model: six items for $20, whether cookies, cupcakes, or seasonal treats. Popular flavors include tiramisu, Boston cream pie, local honey pistachio, and peach cobbler, alongside rotating seasonal creations like caramel apple pie or pumpkin cake.

“I spend hours imagining what the community might want each season,” Justina said. “Constantly inventing new flavors is my favorite process. If something sticks, it becomes a top seller.”

Though home-based under Colorado’s cottage food law, they’ve already outgrown their space. They’re exploring a downtown storefront where they could centralize baking, consulting, and customer pickups. Justina envisions a space where clients could sit down, describe their dream cake, and watch her sketch it into reality.

“It’s not just about baking. It’s art,” she said.

A Mission Beyond Cakes

For Justina, the business is not just about financial success. It’s also tied to honoring Cameron’s memory. She and Ryan have established a nonprofit called Cameron’s Grove Spiritual Healing Center, with plans to eventually build a retreat for families navigating grief.

“Everyone experiences loss,” she said. “But there aren’t enough resources for people who are grieving. We want to create a place where they can be cared for — through nature, through food, through compassion.”

Their plan is to dedicate a portion of cake proceeds toward the nonprofit. “It’s about turning pain into purpose,” Justina said. “If I can help others heal while doing what I love, then Cameron’s legacy lives on.”

Looking Ahead

Even as they work toward a permanent space, they are focused on building their reputation cake by cake, order by order. Weddings remain Justina’s favorite projects — “It’s where I thrive, where I’m happiest” — but she’s equally excited by the day-to-day creativity of mixing flavors and experimenting with new desserts.

Ryan says the dream is simple: “We want to keep growing, to have a storefront, to expand into more gluten-free options, and to continue giving back to the community that’s embraced us.”

For Justina, it comes down to the bond between her craft and her resilience. “Baking has always been my path. Even through everything I’ve faced, it’s still what brings me joy. Thanks to being here, I can see a brighter future.”

Justin Tubbs is the Montrose Business Times editor. He can be reached by email at justin@montrosebusinesstimes.com or by phone at 970-765-0915 or mobile at 254-246-2260.