Visitors to Carriage Crossing have a new sweet snack option starting Jan. 7 when Buttercups Cupcakes opens in Collerville’s Carriage Crossing shopping center.
Owner Richard Clark had the idea to start a cupcake business while he owned East Memphis Pizza & Subs, an eatery that he sold about four years ago.
“We started making cookies there and decided that the cookies went off pretty well, so we transitioned into cupcakes and I started catering," Clark said.
"People began asking if they could get them in a retail store, and of course we did not have them, so they would even go to special events to try order them So eventually we decided to branch out into a retail establishment.”
Carriage Crossing was his first choice for the new location since he lives close by and the area brings in a great amount of foot traffic.
Buttercups Cupcakes will focus primarily on selling cupcakes, with flavors like banana pudding, caramel cheese, and peanut butter fudge. Clark expects to have six to 12 varieties on hand at any given time, with more options likely on weekends. Beverages will include lattes and frappuchinos.
Clark added that he will also serve a special menu item called a "cup of butter",
"It’s like banana pudding, but it’s our version of it, and it comes in four different flavors: chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and banana banana,” said Clark, who held a soft opening for the store earlier this week. “We sold about 100 of those yesterday and had sold out by 1 p.m.”
The shop also sold out of its soft-opening allotment of 650 cupcakes and then sold an additional 75 cupcakes before closing that day.
Catering will be a big part of the new business, and the bakery will also create special-order cakes for weddings and special occasions.
Clark designed the layout of the 1,040-square-foot space, which seats about 15 people. He expects to do a lot of take-out orders for Carriage Crossing shoppers.
Buttercups currently employs five people, and more part-time staff will be hired in the coming months to help with catering duties.
Clark already has his eye on opening a second location somewhere within the busy Poplar Avenue corridor of East Memphis.
“We’re looking at expanding within the year if all goes well,” said Clark, who also manages his own marketing and graphic design firm, My360. “It’s our goal to have two stores centrally located to each other.”
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