O.C. BUSINESS PLUS : HEARD ON THE BEAT / SMALL BUSINESS : Brea Cake Bakery Sees Business Rise

Andrea Hove had a good job and bright future as a sales account representative at Canon USA. She’s traded it all in for a piece of cake--literally.

Hove, along with her mother and aunt, has opened a new Creative Cakery franchise in Brea. The store sells specialty bundt-shaped cakes that come in seven flavors and any number of funky designs. “I was very happy at Canon, but wanted to do something more creative,” she said.

Hove and her partners took out a $250,000 bank loan to start their new business, which opened Aug. 30. The franchise fee totaled $18,000. The trio are canvassing local chambers of commerce and handing out free samples at nearby malls to drum up business. Their target market: mothers with young kids.

Founded in 1983 in Long Beach, Creative Cakery began franchising in 1997. The chain has bakeries in Los Alamitos, Redondo Beach, Monterey and Vancouver, Wash. An Aliso Viejo store is slated to open in December.