Cupcakes recently refrosted their Thurlow/Robson shop and revealed their new branding and product mix in a celebration on the first day of summer. To our delight, the Cupcakes space is fresh and fun and most notably, they’ve added ice cream to their menu. In light of these sweet changes, we connected with Heather White, co-founder of Cupcakes to learn more?about Cupcake’s new space and products.
What is your favourite thing about having a store located on Thurlow off Robson Street?
Having a location on the corner of Robson and Thurlow is the perfect introduction to guests and tourists?visiting our city.?We have?always considered our Thurlow location our?flagship store showcasing all things new in the Cupcakes brand.?When we decided to launch our new brand, Cupcakes & Other Good Stuff, Thurlow was the perfect location to introduce our rebranding to new and old Cupcakes customers.
What are some factors behind Cupcakes new brand direction and look?
The new brand direction for Cupcakes & Other Good Stuff is a new beginning for us, and a big decision to?step away from our original Cupcakes brand. The introduction of a bright white base added new life to our Thurlow location; now the 400 square foot Cupcake shop looks fresh and bright.?The brand’s new colour palette and the fun use of pattern added a much needed?pop to the brand.?We wanted the shops and our customer experience to give people the same?feeling they got when eating one of our cupcakes.
What are some design philosophies behind your newly refrosted/renovated Robson space?
As a brand, Cupcakes & Other Good Stuff is more than just cupcakes. It has history that truly understands what it means to create?moments for celebration. Every opportunity to interact with the brand gives the consumer something a little more ? the?same way that a cupcake gives you something more than just the delicious treat.?We give our customers a little bit of?fun every time they come into our new Thurlow shop with our bright stripes, new colours and my?favourite, the polkadot wall.?Cupcakes & Other Good Stuff is not just our new tag line, it?s our new way of thinking.
What is your favourite classic or seasonal cupcake and why?
My?favourite cupcakes were newly created for our Summer deluxe line of cupcakes.?We have partnered with a local company that produces a line of locally sourced, 70% fresh fruit filling that we pipe into our fresh baked cupcakes daily.?These new fruit filled cupcakes will be introduced throughout the summer months and will include:
Blueberry Bliss?- blueberry filled lemon cake with lemon cream cheese frosting and a blueberry.
Peaches & Cream?- peach filled vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting and a peach candy.
Cherry Bomb?- cherry filled chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate drizzle.
Of all the sweet treats out there, why did Cupcakes decide on expanding into the ice cream market?
After much deliberation, Lori and I decided that ‘Betterwith’ ice cream was the perfect compliment and pairing?to our line of cakes?and?cupcakes.?We’re building the new brand around the?same set of strict rules we have had at Cupcakes for the past 14 years. We only use natural, honest ingredients to produce our?decadent treats. ?The name ‘Betterwith’ came from the idea that cake tastes better with ice cream, so it was a natural combination and collaboration. It was time for the?Cupcakes?brand to expand its product offerings and?what better way to do so than with ice cream.
The newly refrosted flagship Cupcakes is located at 797 Thurlow Street! If you stop by, be sure to share your pictures using the hashtag #onRobson or by tagging us on Instagram/Twitter at @RobsonStreet.