Another multi-location food purveyor has closed its Madison Valley store, Bellevue-based New York Cupcakes' ending its foray into Seattle after only eleven months on this side of the water. NYC's last day was July 31, according to Seattle Met's Nosh Pitt blog. New York Cupcakes thus follows the lead of Woodinville-based Bill the Butcher, which closed its Madison Valley operation earlier in the month.
We were not entirely surprised by the exit of New York Cupcakes, which had been struggling to find an audience since its opening in September. Owner Lisa Waxman Johnson admitted to us last year that the store was not performing up to her expectations. In explanation of the closing, NYC posted this comment on its Facebook page: "Madison Valley is a great neighborhood but not the one for us (parking is super tough!)." Bill the Butcher, in commenting on our story about the closure of its Madison Valley store, said much the same thing about its departure: "One of the many things we have learned in our first three years is the importance of parking---something our Madison Shop has always struggled with since it's opening."
It's not true, however, that no multi-location operation can make a go of it in Madison Valley. Essential Baking is a good case in point. And on the horizon, of course, is the new Pagliacci Pizza store which will soon be opening in the former location of Spotless Cleaners. We expect to be sharing details on that later this week.
[New York Cupcakes was located at 2711 E. Madison St. Pagliacci Pizza will be located at 3015 E. Madison St.]
The whole cupcake thing is overdone.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter loved this place, but its downfall was that it didn't have espresso. The walking-distance moms would have been here a lot more if it had, not to mention that they would have gotten a lot of overflow traffic when Essential has a long line. This is a classic example of not thinking about the neighborhood where you are locating your business, and assuming that what works in an eastside mall will work in a walkable urban neighborhood. They're not the same.
ReplyDeleteToo bad they were not in the Park. I think both Bill the Butcher and New York Cupcakes would have done well!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, but would the powers in Madison Park have allowed them to compete with the Red Apple or Bakery?
DeleteVery sad to see the cupcakes go! Good floks trying hard... As for Bill the Butcher- I walked there- parking wasn't their problem. Their downfall was a lack of business skill- They couldn't follow through with their customers... I'd try to order a specific cut of meat a week in advance only to be told that they weren't planning on having pork that day.... This hapened multiple times. They. Are. A. Butcher. Butchers have meat.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Bill's problem was not parking. I also walked there, and paid their super-high prices so that I wouldn't have to get in the car and go up the hill to Safeway. But, honestly, their meat wasn't good enough to justify those prices, and with nowhere in the valley to buy veggies, I ended up at Safeway most of the time anyway. They needed vegetables, not parking.
DeleteSame thing with the cupcakes. They needed espresso, not parking. Both stores may have thought the problem was parking, but really, it was not optimizing the business for the many customers who wanted to walk there.
While the Mad Valley parking situation is aggravating, it isn't fair to pin the blame there. Both business models were flawed and that's what did those businesses in.
ReplyDelete- NY Cupcakes were good, but the business was too niched, pricey for what they were offering, and opened after the cupcake craze had passed.
- Bill the Butcher had great quality, but it was super expensive, the stock varied and the company had expansion issues. They have an empty storefront in Wallingford too.
Ideal businesses that thrive here are destinations, not walk-bys.
Very astute. Bill had parking, but no meat and no capital. It takes more than parking to make it in Madison Valley.
DeleteI am disappointed to see N.Y. Cupcakes close, because I thought it would be great for our neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteIt's pathetic that people aren't willing to walk a couple of blocks to support local businesses. There is always parking in the neighborhood to the southeast of the business strip. However, a CROSSWALK at the intersection of M.L.King Jr. Way & East Harrison St. might make a big difference--especially for parents escorting young children to the store.
The comments about coffee are right-on, given the fact that there is always a big line at The Essential Baking Co., & Bella Dolce (the coffee shop that the cupcake place replaced) no longer exists.
Bill was a sham, it had nothing to do with parking and everything to do with not paying bills and not having meat to sell
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ReplyDeleteI don't plan to frequent this business. I bought a Living Social voucher to try their wares, and in effect, it was not honored. I called the bakery 72 hours in advance to place my order (guidelines said "at least 48 hours ahead") and was told their order books were full for the day I needed the cupcakes (my twins' birthday party). I had planned to use the voucher for this occasion for months. I spoke to both the head baker, and the owner, Heather. "Then could I come in Saturday morning and pick cupcakes from the store and use the voucher that way ?" "No." "Can you honor the voucher past the expiration date (it was expiring in 10 days) so I will have another appropriate occasion to use it on?" "No." It was a horrible experience that there was no inkling from either the voucher or the website that I would have needed to prepare for.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I was told that my options were to: a) try to get what I needed by coming in first thing in the morning to buy their day-old cupcakes or b) come into the store and buy a dozen cupcakes at full price.
I was also told they had about 3,000 Living Social vouchers in play currently. Really? Do you think they may have issued a few too many? I don't think I'll be the only one left fuming about this.
Note that on Trophy Cupcakes website, it explicitly warns in the FAQ's that it is possible orders may not be able to be accommodated and to order as far ahead as possible to ensure getting what you need. Nothing like this exists on the New York Cupcakes website, and I didn't look at Trophy Cupcakes' website until afterward for comparison.