Edge of Sweetness Bakery is a family-operated business in the Edgewater area of Chicago. It recently opened under the guidance of Kate Merrill and Paige Tyler. Merrill is associated with Kate’s Cookies, while Tyler previously worked at Homemade Sin Bakery.

The new bakery venture has developed into a place where people feel at home. Light woodwork and white tile backdrop behind the counter gives the sweet shop a home-kitchen feel. The environment at the shop is welcoming.

What really sets it apart from other area bakeries, though, is its neighborhood involvement.  Volunteers from the Edgewater community designed the architecture for the bakery’s sidewalk cafe and do its bookkeeping. The bakery also features a “take one, leave one” community bookhouse donated to by Edgewater residents.

Another unique concept is the shared kitchen. Edge of Sweetness rents out kitchen space to start-up businesses for a fixed-monthly fee.

Aside from the environment, the bakery also features a variety of cookies, breads, muffins, dessert bars, and fudge. One of its most popular items is its Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, which features a buttery cake-crust bottom topped with chocolate and coconut.