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Crumby news
By adamg on Tue, 07/08/2014 - 10:05am
The Boston Business Journal reports that Crumbs, the high-priced cupcake chain with an outlet on Federal Street, has shut down. Apparently, the once hot cupcake market has cooled off (right, Todd?); we hear self-serve froyo is still going strong, in case anybody wants to move into the old Crumbs space.
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Comments
The award for best headline goes to....
......... ADAMG! ADAMG, COME ON DOWN HERE!
cupcake fascination
I have to say, although Crumbs cupcakes were pretty good I never understood the whole gourmet overpriced cupcake thing. I work on Federal St so our boss would buy them for the office occasionally but I could never justify going in there myself and paying $4 for a cupcake. Not surprised they are closing--the line used to be out the door when they opened but it's been a lot quieter down there lately. Now we'll see who's gonna buy up that spot between Winston's and soon-to-open Pret a Manger.
My guess
Is another Pret. You know, in case the first one gets full, or people don't want to go to "that" one.
$4 isn't that outrageous when
$4 isn't that outrageous when you consider their size.
I prefer a one-bite cupcake -
I prefer a one-bite cupcake -- just pops right in. Loyal to Sweet myself. Better to support the locally owned shops, and besides their cupcakes are tastier.
pssssh
Six of the world's most awesome cupcakes costs me only $3.95 at the italian bakery down the street! Nuts to $4 for one cupcake!
I've never been to a Crumbs
and I like cupcakes just fine but yeesh--looking at the pictures they look monstrous. Like 3 regular cupcakes. You couldn't walk down the street and eat one--it just looks kind of grotesque.
Not exactly nutritious
The last time I was at Crumbs was actually in NYC (and thanks to legislation) in which the calorie count was posted. The average calories for one of their cupcakes was 600 calories. Now, I know that cupcakes aren't exactly nutritious by any means, but that certainly must have put a damper on sales....
If you were looking to treat
If you were looking to treat yo' self, those cupcakes were pretty good. I admit that I would only allow myself to eat the mini ones and only when someone brought them into our office. The couple of times I walked over to get myself my own cupcake I couldn't actually bring myself to buy a piece of cake as big as my fist with an equally massive heap of frosting on top of it (no matter how good all that might taste.) It just seemed too indulgent. If I were in the mood for something over the top, I would head over to North End for cannoli.
Insert Simpsons Reference of Making Money of Pumpkins...
Video Missing
Its from the episode of "Homer vs. Patty and Selma"
Homer makes money off of the Pumpkins during the fall and doubles down for the spring, only to lose all his money and then some.
Yea, the video would of worked, better then typing it all out.
Froyo bubble
I'm thinking that the self-serve Froyo bubble is close to bursting as well - of the six (!) shops in Allston that have opened in the past three years or so, three have closed.
A few years ago we had three
A few years ago we had three Froyo shops within walking distance. Now only one survives, and I give that until the store's lease expires.
How can we do this for nail salons
Not that I'm wishing for empty storefronts on Newbury Street - but the nail salon thing is a bit over the top.
I put nail salons on the cheap personal indulgence scale right above starbucks/froyo/cupcakes and below the place where you go to have someone blow dry
(JUST blow dry) your hair. (says the man with almost no hair).
I find that amazing - and it's always busy.
Everybody, send me your money right now!
Brilliant concept: Salon where sultry members of the opposite sex hand-feed you cupcakes while your nails are being done.
Can't fail. Franchises available in your area NOW!
Potato Salad
Or you could just a Kickstarter to make potato salad
(sorry that story just annoys me to no end.. really? 35k for potato salad!??!)
Yeah, I'd like to know how
Yeah, I'd like to know how that happened. I have a friend who did a (successful) kick starter a few years ago and he had to really jump through hoops to convince them that his idea was valid and had potential. Then this guy raises $35K for potato salad??
yup
I know I help out with a Humane Society in New Hampshire (I assist with their website) and they are always doing donation drives and such. Here's an organization that scrapes pennies every week to fund their shelter and clinics, yet tries to do a kickstarter (or GoFundMe) and raises < 1k.
Yet we have some guy who knowingly did this as a joke gets 35k. Either people really love potato salad over shelter pets OR there really is 'one born every minute'.
Blow-out bars
My guy friends are mostly of the same opinion as you about the blow-out places, but as a woman with long hair who works a lot of events, those places are GREAT. It's really, really hard to do a good blow out on yourself, especially one that will last through a humid day when you're running around working. My cousin got married outside last month and I would have looked like a poodle by picture time if not for 30 minutes at Drybar that morning.
Nail places. . .eh. I guess they're a little ubiquitous here, but I do like knowing I can run in for a manicure if I happen to have an extra 40 minutes anywhere in the city.
Mani, pedi, and skin
Mani, pedi, and skin infection. I've only tried the cheapie places a couple of times, because they always seem dirty.
Shit, on my block on Newbury
Shit, on my block on Newbury there were three shops that opened there alone AND existing Emack and Bolios AND smoothie king are right there. I moved into that place to be across from Mars Music, then that closed and the blocked turned into useless calorie alley. Burn them all!
I suspect one difference with the fro-yo bubble is that
the money there is actually made in selling franchises, not selling fro-yo. It's a pump-and-dump scheme, or perhaps more accurately, an enrollment mill. None of the franchisers care if the franchisees make money, and most shops will have the lifespan of a mayfly.
Froyo
but many of the froyo places are one-off locally-owned places, rather than franchises.
Makes me wonder how Kickass
Makes me wonder how Kickass Cupcakes in Somerville is doing, as well. They recently moved from their Davis Square location to Highland Ave., where I doubt the same sort of foot traffic exists.