On a summer's day in Glasgow’s East End almost three years ago, the first of many Full Circle Bakes customers joined a queue to get their hands on the supersized, stuffed cookies that had been blowing up on Instagram.

Despite the success of her postal order service, opening a brick-and-mortar bakery in the wake of lockdowns still posed a huge risk for founder and owner Jacky Stabler, who was just 24 at the time.

It’s a gamble that ultimately paid off, leading to the expansion of her team, the opening of an industrial production unit to keep up with demand and a social media following of over 26,000 built through posting honest and personal accounts of running a business with both ADHD and autism.

Among the latest of these updates was the news that Full Circle Bakes was soon to leave behind its Haghill address for a new area of the city, with Stabler enjoying the thrill of keeping the exact location, for now, tightly under wraps.

The Herald: Pictured: Full Circle Bakes founder Jacky StablerPictured: Full Circle Bakes founder Jacky Stabler (Image: newsquest)

“When we moved into our current shopfront on Cumbernauld Road, it was a completely different world,” she said.

“Most people were working from home and spending their spare time taking long walks around the neighbourhood which meant that we were really busy.

“But, in the last year, we’ve found that the unit has gotten a bit quieter.

“With the industrial unit, we’re capable of producing so much more and moving somewhere that could increase our sales makes sense."

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Stabler’s business has made great strides since the opening of a nearby industrial facility which allows her to flex her skills by developing new products including filled tarts, gooey brownies and triple layer cake slices.

The Herald: Pictured: The industrial unit allows the team space to experimentPictured: The industrial unit allows the team space to experiment (Image: newsquest)

While not all of these experiments have stuck, they’re representative of the adaptability and resilience needed to stay afloat in the current climate.

“I would say the past year of running a business is the hardest it's been.

“I know that personally, I have less disposable income so I completely understand that other people will be in the same position.

“Luxury items have become even more of a luxury, and to top that off the cost of running a business has increased dramatically.

“It’s not been close to the point where we’ve thought about closing, but it has definitely pushed us to do things we might not have considered before.”

The Herald: Pictured: Stabler and her team are preparing to relocate in the coming monthsPictured: Stabler and her team are preparing to relocate in the coming months (Image: newsquest)

Kitchen creativity is where the 27-year-old pastry chef’s talent truly shines with a knack for identifying flavour combinations that sets her cakes and cookies apart from the city’s other artisan bakers.

“Coming up with flavour combinations and recipe development is one of my all-time favourite things.

“It’s where I feel my skillset is very much rooted because I’m autistic and have ADHD.

“People talk about ‘thinking outside the box’, but I didn’t even realise there was a box that people were thinking in.

“I know what flavours will work because it all comes down to the theory behind it.

“For example, we have a cookie sandwich flavour at the moment that’s chocolate, peanut, and miso caramel which might sound weird at first, but it has the perfect balance of sweet and savoury.

“There’s nothing better than getting it just right.”

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While Stabler is confident in her abilities, it’s her home city of Glasgow and her hospitality industry peers which she says play a huge part in motivating her work.

“I don’t think I would ever open a business in any other city,” she continued.

“There’s such a vibrant community of creative people here and I find that Glasgow just loves any kind of small business.

“Having so many other great restaurants, cafes or bakeries around us really keeps me on my toes.

“When I see other people doing something really cool it gives me the itch to start thinking about what I can do to stay on that same level.

“There’s a constant drive to take it up a notch.”

With a new unit providing them room to expand a range of bakes even further and space to offer a sit-in space for the first time, the Full Circles is preparing to take it up a good few notches all at once.

While not ready to share the secret of exactly where this will be just yet, Stabler is enjoying the widespread speculation and looking forward to the grand reveal.

“A few people know already although I’ve no idea how they found out,” she said.

“One of my managers went to get her haircut the other day and when she told her stylist where she worked, she said: ‘oh yeah, you’re moving to this location soon aren’t you’, which was exactly right.

“It’s fun to know that people are talking about it and making their own guesses.

“When everyone sees where we’re moving to they’ll understand the decision because it’s a cracking location.

“It’s a strange feeling to be leaving my first kitchen where I learned so much about how to run a business, but I’m so excited to continue growing.”

For updates on Full Circle Bakes and their new location, find their social media @fullcirclebakes.