LUBBOCK, Texas — Owners of Sweet Creations: Cakes by Marsha prepared for the graduation rush on Friday, as high school students across the city got ready to walk across the aisle. The owner, Marsha Johnson, has been in the business for nearly four years.

“I’ve always done cakes. We were doing them a lot out of the house and we just got busier and busier,” Johnson said.

After working out of their home, Johnson and her husband Michael James decided that to keep up with orders, they would have to get a retail location.

“We just moved to this location in July, but we were originally at Avenue J and we were there for three and half years,” Johnson said.

Johnson said she loves what she does, and enjoys creating relationships with her customers.

“I like being able to be my own boss. I control how it goes. I’m a control freak,” Johnson laughs.

She is one out of 17 businesses to be featured in the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance’s social media post, encouraging the support of black-owned businesses.

“Take a tangible action to stand with black families in our community and support this list of black-owned restaurants in Lubbock. If there’s a restaurant that you love missing from this list, drop a comment below,” Reads the Facebook post.

Johnson said she appreciates the recognition, however she believes all local businesses deserve support.

“Whether you’re a black business or not, I feel like just because we’ve been doing it for so long and we know what it takes to run a business you know, I think everybody… everybody needs the customers to support,” Johnson said.

James and Johnson both agree maintaining a local business is work not everyone is cut out for. They said so much hard work goes into the business, so while Johnson agrees with protesting for the Black Lives Matter movement, she feels rioting is a different story.

“I’m okay with the protesting,” Johnson said. “I’m not so much with the rioting just because I see it on a different level just because I am a business owner, and I know what it takes to get that business up and running and to maintain it. So, to see so many of them lose their business because of the rioting… it’s not cool.”

Johnson said they have undergone several challenges within the year, such as having to remain closed from July to January to make sure their business met city codes. The coronavirus also hindered their sales, forcing them to offer only curbside pickup to their customers.

Even so, the couple said they are setting up a better future for their kids, and continue to keep their heads up no matter what the circumstances may be.

“God didn’t give it to me to fail so I’m not going to,” Johnson said.

Sweet Creations is located at 1308 Broadway St.