Aria Burnside

EDWARDSVILLE - Aria Burnside has been highly successful with her business Aria’s Cookies and Confections and has plans to open sometime in the near future at Eastgate Plaza because of shopping center owner Todd Kennedy.

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Aria and her mom.Aria has been operating with a ghost kitchen and won a contest through the Alton Main Street IdeaBounce Contest and Eastgate Plaza. The teen entrepreneur will get six months of free rental space at Eastgate Plaza in East Alton, which also has offered to build out a bakery space for Burnside.

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Aria just turned 18 years old. After she finished Liberty Middle School, she attended Edwardsville High School for a period of time but was struggling and her mother moved her to homeschool. During that time, she started baking and after some of her items were shared at church, others continued to want to purchase cookies and coffee cakes. She started selling things at church bake sales and fundraisers. Before she knew it, her Facebook page blew apart, and she had more than 4,000 fans and it continues to grow.

Aria and her mother, Charmian, talked to the Small Business Development Center at SIUE and they shared with them a flow chart for things they needed to do for a legitimate business. Since she was at home, they had to rent a commercial kitchen so sales could be done online and that has also been extraordinary.

Aria said she is just really happy she has been able to do this because truthfully, it is her dream.

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“A couple of years ago this don’t like it would be able to happen but is happening now and I feel so blessed,” she added.

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Aria struggled with ADHD, so the public school didn’t work out as well as she wanted, but once she started homeschooling, she hit her stride and at the same time she discovered what her mother calls her “God-given baking talents.”

Aria and Charmian, attend Anchored In Truth Ministries Church in Edwardsville.

Next, the young Edwardsville entrepreneur hopes to go larger and possibly to other states across the country.

Her mother said she is so proud of her daughter and said she has always had the sweetest personality.

“She is sweet as pie and is so compassionate,” her mom said. “I am so grateful for what has happened. I work now with the bakery and help her with it each day.”

Aria is extremely creative with her baking and she said, “God really blessed me with even helping me discover I have this gift. I have also been blessed with a great support team that just sticks behind me and helps me and pushes me. I am super thankful.”

Aria is a young woman who appears destined for greatness and by the looks of her creations, it is no wonder she sells out nearly everything she prepares.

Aria’s website is cookiesbyaria.com.

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