A former attorney who picked up cake decorating in law school has turned a City of Tigard grant into a thriving business on SW Dartmouth Street, and the kids' camps she never planned are now its biggest draw.

JoJo Keating, 40, co-founded Cake Hoopla with Katie Troxel, the studio's creative director, after the two University of Idaho swim teammates reconnected following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The women-owned studio at 7173 SW Dartmouth St. opened in September 2023 with help from the city's Triangle Business Opportunity Fund, which provides 50% matching grants for businesses filling vacant ground-floor commercial spaces in the Tigard Triangle, according to a city program description.

The fund caps grants at $25,000 for non-eating and drinking establishments. The exact amount Cake Hoopla received has not been publicly disclosed.

Keating spent 10 years practicing law before making the leap. She started decorating cakes as a hobby in law school, began reassessing her career during maternity leave and ran a mobile decorating service before deciding to go all-in on the concept, OregonLive reported Aug. 5.

"My husband and I used to do that," Keating told OregonLive about paint-and-sip art classes, "and we just have a closet full of like, bad paintings."

The studio focuses exclusively on decoration. Keating developed five cake recipes herself, but the baking happens offsite at a commercial kitchen because the Dartmouth Street space lacks room for ovens.

That constraint freed the partners to build out a decorating-only floor where customers choose from parties, classes, private lessons, open studio time and DIY kits to go.

Cake Camps: the accidental flagship

Cake Camps weren't in the original business plan. Keating introduced the themed, four-day programs for kids in grades K through 6 in 2024, and they've expanded every year since, including single-day versions during the school year.

The format works like this: campers spend three days building skills and sketching their final design in a journal, then decorate a full cake on day four. Themes have included video gaming. During a recent Legend of Zelda-inspired camp, one camper planned a fondant sword embedded vertically in the cake, practicing by crafting smaller swords atop cupcakes on day two.

It clicked.

Cake Hoopla's 2026 summer camp lineup is packed, with a 25% discount offered on a second camp booking.

Parties and pricing

Adult parties are pitched as an alternative to paint-and-sip art classes. Cupcake parties start at $375 for up to 10 decorators, cake parties at $500, and two-tier cake parties typically begin at $550, according to the studio's pricing page.

The studio is open Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m., Friday from 1 to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Residents interested in fall Cake Camps or booking a party can visit cakehoopla.com.