Apparently, my barometer for entrepreneurial ventures might be a bit off.
Recently, in an OnMilwaukee.com article, we wished for missing aspects of the Milwaukee dining scene; my suggestion was a cupcake shop.
Yes, under the allure of places like Magnolia in New York and Sprinkles in California, I too wanted us to have the option of a freshly baked, hand crafted personal cakes.
Turns out, had anyone actually taken my idea seriously, it very well may have been a bad one. Opening up Slate Magazine today, one columnist asserts the cupcake bubble is about to burst.
While writer Daniel Gross' assertion lays largely on personal prediction and less on reported sales, scientific proof or concrete evidence, he makes a convincing argument as to why the cupcake shop popped up last year and why it is about to disappear this year.
Noting that initial cupcake bakeries drew a customer base with a distinguished, fresh concept, more and more bakeries have opened, attempting to carve out an individual niche by offering a specialized concept- vegan, local ingredients and sustainable ingredients are often the divergent path. Or, like a newly opening bakery in Brooklyn, "sustainable cupcakes made of flour ground from organic wheat raised in Prospect Park, served in wrappers recycled from old copies of the "New York Review of Books"."
Clearly, little to my knowledge, the cupcake concept has been flushed in and out in larger cities across the country.
But while I hear Gross' words with caution, I still think Milwaukee could handle at least one little cupcakerie.
Indeed a product following a trend and purchased as much in novelty as in hunger, we have yet to experience a wave of shops specializing in one individual baked good and as Milwaukeean's know, we never opt to be left behind.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Maureen Post grew up in Wauwatosa. A lover of international and urban culture, Maureen received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
After living on the east side of Madison for several years, Maureen returned to Milwaukee in 2006.
After a brief stint of travel, Maureen joined OnMilwaukee.com as the city’s oldest intern and has been hooked ever since. Combining her three key infatuations, Milwaukee’s great music, incredible food and inspiring art (and yes, in that order), Maureen’s job just about fits her perfectly.
Residing in Bay View, Maureen vehemently believes the city can become fresh and new with a simple move across town.