It’s always sweet treat o’clock at Alexa’s Dulceria & Market. The dessert shop debuted its first brick-and-mortar in a café spot previously occupied by concepts like Toasted and Bright Side Bar & Daiquiris on Nicholson Drive.
The bakery and market opened in February after owner Alexa Martinez and her team outgrew the space in her family’s grocery store, El Bodegón Latin Market. She signed her lease in November and has been working since then to create an inviting space for new and returning customers to enjoy tres leches, cheesecake slices, thick cookies and other sugary creations made daily.
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Upon entering, customers are immediately greeted with pops of greenery and a cheery “welcome” or “buenos días” from Martinez or her mom. Menu offerings rotate on a screen above the counter and a chilled case displays all the freshly made sweets. After securing a dessert or beverage, patrons can choose a table or booth to enjoy. And, they don’t have to rush to leave after finishing their snack.
“Back in Venezuela, they call it a dulceria,” Martinez says. “It’s like a place where you can go have coffee, have desserts and then just chill in there and relax. So that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Inside the cold case at the front counter, patrons can find an expansive selection of drool-worthy desserts. The most sought-after items include Nutella and Biscoff cheesecake slices. Another standout is the Venezuelan tres leches, which Martinez says is a little sweeter and richer than the Honduran-style version that’s popular at El Bodegón Latin Market. Other menu highlights include coffee drinks; rice puddings; conchas; strawberries and cream; smoothies; flans; turnovers; and napoleons, a flaky layered pastry dessert. For those who crave something savory, there are also Colombian- and Venezuelan-style breads stuffed with cheese, beef, chicken or ham.
Alexa’s also offers custom cakes and catering orders. And, there are weekly specials that Martinez and her husband concoct by looking at trendy ingredients and what’s popular on social media. This week’s specials include lime carlota, a Mexican-style, no-bake icebox cake; coconut creme caramel flan and Dubai chocolate-style dipped strawberries.
Growing up in her native Venezuela, Martinez says she fell in love with baking at a young age and even used to sell brownies. That evolved into a dream she shared with her mother to open her own café and dessert shop. Last year, she fell back into her passion when she began working alongside her baker mother-in-law at El Bodegón Latin Market after customers requested grab-and-go items like cake slices. Patrons also requested room to enjoy their purchases—so Martinez decided to find a standalone spot for Alexa’s.
“It’s been great,” she says about opening the Nicholson Drive spot. “I love it here. I feel like in here, we have a lot of space and we can grow. And we’re reaching new people because in (El Bodegón Latin Market) it was mostly Hispanic people. In here, we get all kinds of people, and they’ve been very receptive.”
But Alexa’s is more than just a bakery. Paying homage to its grocery store roots, the sweet shop also has a market attached with imported goodies from Honduras, Venezuela and Colombia. Shelves hold snacks and candies, while cold cases display frozen food items and beverages.
“I’ve noticed a lot at this location that whenever someone comes to buy a dessert they actually go look (in the market),” Martinez says. “We have things you wouldn’t really find, like candies and imported items that actually go with our business because we do a lot of desserts with those toppings.”
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Martinez works with her mom, husband, mother-in-law and a few staff members. She gets to the shop early to plan the day, work on social media posts and delegate the tasks. Her mom makes drinks and coffees for customers and helps man the counter. Her husband handles all of the baking. Martinez comes in after the treats are done to pipe Nutella, cookie butter and decorate all the sweets and slices. The desserts are stocked at the Nicholson Drive location, and Martinez says treats from Alexa’s are still available at the family grocery store.
In the future, Martinez hopes she can grow her brand and open more locations, each of which she envisions having a different vibe and decor. Through Alexa’s, she also hopes to connect with more customers while finding opportunities to give back to the community that gave her a start.
Alexa’s Dulceria & Market is at 5201 Nicholson Drive, Suite F. The bakery is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. El Bodegón Latin Market is at 10979 Coursey Blvd., Suite H.