A Fort Worth cheesecake company has made it official: Sweetie's Cheesecakes, a family-owned company that's been selling cheesecakes in jars at markets and pop-ups throughout North Texas, has opened its own retail store in far north Fort Worth, at 13033 Harmon Rd. #203.

Named for their dearly departed cat, Sweetie's was first founded in 2017 by husband-wife Michael and Shannon Vespa. The new storefront, which debuted on July 30, gives DFW-area customers a reliable place to find the cheesecakes; they're open Tuesday-Friday 11 am-5 pm.

In addition to selling at local markets, they also sell their cheesecake online to customers across the country.

They do four flavors year-round:

• classic plain
• chocolate
• signature cheesecake, a 30+ year recipe, with a hint of lemon and orange zest and a sweet-sour cream topping
• mango-habanero

... plus seasonal flavors that change throughout the year.

"Although our product is available in select businesses throughout the metroplex, we love having a space where our customers can come to us other than at events, markets, and festivals," Michael says. "We are in an office park, so although this is not a retail area for walk-up traffic, we are getting many new customers just advertising our business with a sign and a flag near the street. Customers have told us, 'We saw a sign for cheesecakes and made a U-turn.'"

Michael's love of cheesecake began as a child growing up in New Jersey. His mother was a proficient baker who made cakes and pies. One weekend, she did cheesecake, and Michael was instantly addicted. Knowing his mother wouldn't be able to make a cheesecake every weekend, he learned how to make them on his own.

He went on to have a professional career in fields like information technology and market research, but between layoffs and his disenchantment with the corporate setting, he decided to follow his passion and launch Sweetie’s from home in 2017.

They initially did production in a rental kitchen, but as their business expanded, they opened their own commercial kitchen, home to this new small retail outlet.

"Our storefront also allows us to turn on a delivery service as another way locals can get our product," Michael says. "Be sure to look for us on Door Dash soon."

All of their cheesecakes come in jars, which Michael says guarantees that customers get the freshest product. The jars can be re-used and the Vespas will also take returns. Michael says that, with the new location, they'll also start doing larger cakes by special order.

Though the brick-and-mortar brings stability and convenience, they're still selling cheesecakes at the markets and festivals where they first got their start, such as the Dallas Farmers Market, Lakeside Urban Grocery in Flower Mound, Cowtown Winery and Thompson's Bookstore both in Fort Worth, Local Yocal in McKinney, Shannon Brewery in Keller, and more; the full list of locations is here.