SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Spring Hill mom is finding success in something truly unique. She tells us she discovered a demand and decided to meet it herself.
"People hang art on the walls of their homes, and this is my art," Shelly Ratfliff said, showing her tattoos.
Being predictable is just not what Shelly was ever going to do.
"I never wanted to be someone who looked like someone else," she said. "I wanted to be different."
Shelly's family-owned Blind Tiger Tattoo and Piercing in Spring Hill is also where you'll find her husband, her daughters. There are a whole lot of classic sci-fi posters, Beatles and Grateful Dead memorabilia and Stephen King novels as well.
"That's Toby," Shelly smiled, looking at a skeleton sitting in the waiting room. "He's been waiting a while. He didn't pay his deposit on time."
Don't think you've got Shelly figured out. She's also a baker of excellent pistachio cookies. When she's not piercing and tattooing, she's baking.
"Lots of cakes and cookies," Shelly said. "I love it cause I can turn off everything else that's going on in my life and totally focus on that."
Shelly noticed something about her home of Spring Hill. After about 10pm, things get pretty quiet. So, as someone who's about the unexpected, Shelly had an idea.
"I brought $40 with me," a man said, walking up Shelly's driveway. The garage was lit with bright, flashing lights illuminating tie-dye sheets.
Right in her driveway, Shelly's opened the Late Night Bake Sale.
"I'm gonna have that strawberry cake!" a customer said.
"I decided I was going to see if everyone was feeling the same way I was about the need for something for those who are the night owl crew or just getting off work," Shelly said. "Not everybody goes to bed at 9 p.m."
For the past few weeks, Shelly's decided to sell some baked goodies on Saturday nights from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. when not much else is open. She wasn't sure how this was going to go at first.
"The worst thing that's gonna happen is we're gonna have a lot of treats," she laughed.
As it turns out, the sale's a hit.
"It's shocking," Shelly continued. "Every car that pulls up, I'm like, 'oh my goodness, they're actually here.'"
"Genius. Genius. Genius idea," a customer said.
The star of the bake sale has quickly become that strawberry crunch cake.
"Legendary," the customer continued. "Legendary already. Everybody's talking about it."
From tattoos and piercings to late, late Saturday night bake sales, Shelly may not have an expected story, but she's made successes working alongside the people she loves. For that, she's grateful.
"Everybody needs a treat every now and then," Shelly smiled.
"Y'all made my night," a customer said, walking away with a stack of goodies.
"I appreciate y'all comin out," Shelly called after them.
For more on the Late Night Bake Sale, visit the Facebook page.
