different trends, same thoughts
Here are a few quick thoughts from back in 2010, musing on cupcakes and cupcake shops. Interesting as we continue to think about how trends in food retail come and go.
Cupcake shops have boomed in LA and NYC over the past half decade and the fad has come to Boston/Cambridge of late in a major way (Kickass Cupcakes, Sweet, Cake, etc.). Even Boston’s own celeb chef Todd English is entering the mix with Curley Cakes, scheduled to open in Beacon Hill later this month.
Don’t get me wrong, I like a good cupcake. I think cupcakes in bakeries and cafes are here to stay. It’s the cupcake only shops that I see falling off a cliff. Perhaps if the only place you could get good cupcakes was in a cupcake shop things would be different. Take ice cream for example… for whatever reason non-packaged ice cream is almost exclusively sold in ice cream shops. Cupcakes, not so much. Further, cupcakes aren’t an everyday item for most people. Sandwiches and coffee are everyday, but cupcakes?
For the sake of all you cupcake lovers, I hope I’m wrong. But then again, the bakeries and cafes will provide you the goods.
Novelty Item + Craze + Multiple Operators Offering Novelty Item Only + Competition From Better Business Models = Trouble.
I have a suspicion the related proof is on the way. I’ll keep you posted.
