National Small Business Week: Lowder Baking Co.

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - National Small Business Week is here. This seven-day occasion highlights the contributions of locally owned businesses to the area’s economy.

According to the Small Business Administration, a small business is any organizations with fewer than 500 employees. Across the United States, there are nearly 32 million small businesses.

“I like to say small businesses are what brought us to the dance,” said Liz Swaine, executive director of Shreveport’s Downtown Development Authority. “They are the ones who support our tax base, they create jobs and they create opportunities.”

Swaine said small businesses are the backbone of the local economy. She added that Americans have become accustomed to ordering goods and services online, especially during the pandemic. It’s a habit she believes should return to investing in local business.

“If we continue spending our money and sending it out of our community, our small businesses are not going to survive,” Swaine added.

Lowder Baking Co., which is owned by Shreveport natives Preston and Sarah Lowder, is a business that has thrived on community support. Founded in 2019, months before the pandemic began, altering life from coast to coast, Lowder has only expanded.

“It has grown so much quicker in just a way that we never imagined,” Sarah said. “We are loving having a bakery, but we started it out of our house.”

During the pandemic, Lowder Baking Co. acclimated to the times and altered the way it does business.

“What people need during tough times changes,” said Preston. “It’s not just a walk-in bakery, you do take-and-bake items like pizza kits or chicken pot pies or even crawfish pies.”

Lowder, which is revered for its king cakes, sold a whopping 10,000 during Mardi Gras season in 2022. The couple says the success of their dream bakery is largely due to the kindness, generosity and dedicated support of the local community.

“It really is such a wonderful feeling. We are Shreveport locals, we have a wonderful staff that lives here in Shreveport,” Sarah said. “Any dollar spent to support local business really does support our community.”

This week is also 318 Restaurant Week. Lowder Baking Co. is celebrating with $10 boxes of pastries. More details can be found here.

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