‘Head and shoulders above other bakeries’: New spot for sweets opens in Five Points
Homemade red velvet cupcakes, strawberry crunch pound cake and lunch lady butter cookies will meet a DJ, hourly gift drawings and giveaways at the newest grand opening in Five Points.
Sweet GG’s Bakery will officially cut the ribbon on its new location on Saturday, April 22.
The bakery was formerly located on Fort Jackson Boulevard but closed its doors in October 2022 when the building was bought out. Owners Nayo and Devon Harvin have spent the past several months renovating the Five Points location in anticipation of this weekend.
The popular bakery has served up goodies in Columbia since 2012.
Though Nayo Harvin has been a professor at South Carolina State University since 2010, both of her grandmothers baked, and she said she has always had a knack for the skill.
She entered a festival in Sumter in 2012 just because baking was a fun hobby. One friend handed her $40 and asked her to make her son’s birthday cake. Slowly, she did more custom orders and was able to open up her first storefront on Fort Jackson Boulevard in 2021.
“I know it’s rare to actually make the leap from working at home to having a storefront, so I just feel fortunate,” Harvin said.
As a tribute to her grandmothers, Gertrude and Geneva, the name Sweet GG’s was born.
“This is just a little thing that makes me feel like I still have a connection with them,” Harvin said.
The couple balances the workload, with Nayo Harvin doing most of the baking, and Devon making icing, pies and getting the new storefront customer-ready.
“This does not work without him,” Nayo Harvin said. “We’re in this together.”
Most days, Harvin gets up at 5 a.m. to start baking before making the hour commute to teach graphics, manufacturing and African American history courses in Orangeburg. Though it’s exhausting to balance, she said she loves both jobs.
“That’s what you do when you want to build something,” Harvin said. “You have to sacrifice sleep for now so that you can build.”
At the old location, most of Sweet GG’s business came from returning customers. In the month that Sweet GG’s has been softly open in Five Points, the bakery has already seen more foot traffic.
Those who have already tried Harvin’s creations have turned into loyal customers.
Telisa Tapp discovered Sweet GG’s two years ago when she was looking for a bakery to make her husband, Melvin Tapp, a custom 75th birthday cake. Because he was a pastor, she requested the cake to look like one of his Bibles, which he annotates in yellow sharpie.
“It was so real looking that I thought it was one of my old Bibles,” Melvin Tapp said.
“It was the most beautiful cake,” Telisa Tapp said. “It was perfect.”
They’ve frequented the shop every other week since. Their favorite items are the strawberry, coconut and key lime cakes, but they said the friendly customer service and atmosphere is what makes Sweet GG’s so standout.
“Nothing compares,” Telisa Tapp said. “They’re head and shoulders above other bakeries.”
Customers can expect to find all of Sweet GG’s baked goods as well as a DJ, hourly drawings for gift cards and free giveaways at 631-B Harden St. on Saturday for the official grand opening. Ten percent of all sales that day will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House of Charities in Columbia, and anyone who brings in a donation from the Ronald McDonald House wish list will get 10% off their order total.
Sweet GG’s grand opening is just the latest in a slew of other recent openings in the Five Points area, including:
Japanese eatery FuruSato Bento
The Turning Pointe dancewear store
Botanica de Santee clothing and gift shop
Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint
The Falafel King restaurant
Swiff Luxury streetwear store
Gameday Nutrition
Orangetheory Fitness
The Flying Biscuit restaurant
Acai bowl and smoothie chain Cocobowlz
Independent bookstore All Good Books
