SPRINGFIELD — A sweet smell was in the air last month as the Springfield Chamber of Commerce officially welcomed its latest addition to downtown Springfield: Main Street Sweets, a family owned and operated business. The dessert shop was packed with both people and merriment during its ribbon cutting ceremony. Appetites were big and the smiles were even bigger as customers of all ages enjoyed a variety of baked goods including cupcakes, pie, cake, cookies and muffins.
Carrie Boehm, the owner and head baker, is a lifelong Lane County resident who is thrilled to contribute some sweetness to the community she’s grown to love so much. She noticed that Springfield lacked a location that sold exclusively desserts. Her goal for Main Street Sweets is to become a dessert-oriented business that “bakes the sort of desserts that a mom would make in a comfy, homey environment.” With calming light green walls, soft couches, humorous signs and a homemade chandelier, the shop truly is reminiscent of a family home.
Carrie Boehm, pictured above, poses next to the logo outside her new dessert shop, “Main street Sweets.”
Carrie Boehm began her career as a professional baker in 2019 when she and her husband, Chris Boehm, opened Flashback Grill – a restaurant that is also located on Main Street. Her desserts sold well and the idea to open her own business started to come to fruition.
“Carrie had always talked about wanting some sort of coffee or tea place of her own” said Boehm as he elaborated on the humble beginnings of the dessert shop. “Carrie loves baking and helping people… we held onto faith that things would happen as they’re supposed to and everything just sort of came together.”
With help from County Comissioner David Lovell, who owns property on Main Street, the Boehm’s were able to secure the perfect location to carry out their vision.
Main Street Sweets is open every day from noon – 9 p.m. It offers coffee, tea, and several baked goods including gluten free, dairy free, and vegan options. Everything is made from scratch. Special orders can be arranged and certain items like cookies and cupcakes can be bought in bulk.
Mrs. Boehm mentioned she puts different flavors of pie on display each day “to mix things up a bit in the hopes people will discover a new surprise each time they visit.” There is one special flavor of pie, however, that will always be available due to its popularity. According to Carrie, she goes through about four black bottom coconut cream pies a day. Even Chris, who does not have much of a sweet tooth, mentioned that his wife’s black bottom coconut cream pie is his favorite indulgence.
Carrie Boehm’s desserts and love for baked goods are heavily influenced by her mother, Christie Temple, whose treasured family recipes make up a majority of the menu.
“Baking was my mother’s love language,” noted Megan Temple, Carrie’s sister who works at the front counter on the weekends. She described the similarities between her sister and mother. “Baking is also the way Carrie shows love to people and the community.”
Temple bashfully stated she did not inherit a talent for baking, but she still enjoys working in a brand new shop where she can watch her sister flourish. She also enjoys the upbeat vibe that comes with working at a dessert place. In her words, “No one can really be mad when serving a piece of pie.”
Eva Snyder, another cashier who called Main Street Sweets her “happy place,” commented on how much she loves seeing members of the community come out to support this small business. “It’s a place that draws people in, and keeps them coming back,” she said, equally as proud of this business as the family who owns it.
Both front counter workers admitted it takes a lot of self restraint to not eat too much dessert – a small price to pay for the joy of working in a store filled with so much passion.
The Boehms, who were interviewed separately, both mentioned that what sets their dessert shop apart from other places is the fact they aren’t trying to be overly flashy or fancy in any way. They just want to serve great desserts that look and taste homemade. The Boehms said they want to continue to serve good quality sweets at an affordable price so that anyone feels as though they can come and enjoy themselves.
“It’s been a labor of love,” Carrie said with a soft smile. It seems as though everyone can agree that the amount of love Carrie has put into her shop and each one of her desserts is what makes all the difference.
