With three months under its belt and the support of an established franchise behind them, Burney’s Sweets & More of Hampstead is on its way to gaining a loyal following.

Milushka Reed opened Burney’s at Hampstead Station in January, and after working out a few initial kinks, the bakery is already expanding offerings.

This is the fifth location for the bakery, which originated as part of the Cape Fear Farmers Market in Elizabethtown. Michael Burney, franchise director and operator of the Elizabethtown location, said his parents passed down a love of baking and the recipe for Burney’s croissants, the item that they are perhaps most well known for.

“The croissants and our 15-layer chocolate cake are two of our best-sellers, which are available at every location,” Burney said.

Besides Elizabethtown and Hampstead, Burney’s Sweets & More also has locations Fayetteville, Clinton and Southport.

Reed said that in addition to a wide variety of sweets such as cookies, pies and cakes, Burney’s of Hampstead serves breakfast pastries and breakfast and lunch sandwiches. Pimento cheese and chicken salad are homemade as are a rotating selection of stuffed breads that include pepperoni, ham and cheese and turkey, bacon and cheese.  There is a full line of espresso drinks and smoothies and ice cream will be added to the lineup for the summer months.

Reed said she was first attracted to the business when she was introduced to their products while working in Clinton.

“I thought they had a fantastic product and I really liked the fact that it was a small family-owned franchise,” Reed said.

A lifelong baker, Reed is excited about her first business venture.

She said that while there have been some slow days over the past couple of months, she has seen an uptick in business as the weather has improved.

“People are out and about more now, and we look forward to serving lots of new customers over the summer months,” Reed said.

Burney’s Sweets & More of Hampstead is located at 14542 U.S. 17 in Hampstead.

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