BizBeat: New cupcakery opens in Eastland Plaza

Mark Wilson/News Tribune
Smallcakes Cupcakery owner Lisa Altamam works in her store Friday. The new bakery is located at 905 Eastland Drive.
Mark Wilson/News Tribune Smallcakes Cupcakery owner Lisa Altamam works in her store Friday. The new bakery is located at 905 Eastland Drive.

A new cupcake franchise opened Tuesday in Jefferson City's Eastland Plaza shopping complex.

Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery at 905 Eastland Drive, Suite B, offers about 20 cupcake flavors each day, plus several flavors of ice cream.

Founded by Jeff Martin of "Cupcake Wars" fame, Smallcakes offers cupcake flavors, including vanilla bean and red velvet. The company also offers ice cream flavors like chocoholic, peanut butter chip and birthday cake.

The bakery will have about 18 cupcake flavors daily with several seasonal flavors. Each week, Smallcakes will have a cupcake-flavored cheesecake. For example, this week the shop will feature a red velvet cheesecake after featuring red velvet cupcakes, and cookies were last week.

Smallcakes will offer seasonal goodies like hot chocolate in January and cupcakes paired with chocolate-dipped strawberries around Valentine's Day.

Franchisee Lisa Altamam left her part-time job at Oscar's Classic Diner in Jefferson City and as an accountant in Columbia to open the bakery. Altamam said people filled the store last week, and she was amazed by the community support.

"Really a big surprise," Altamam said. "We haven't advertised, and we didn't really tell anybody we were opening."

Hours will be 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays.

One of the most popular sellers so far is a treat for dogs, a small carrot cake cupcake with peanut butter icing topped by a dog treat. Four of those cupcakes sell for $5.

Altamam began working with the company last February and employs nine people. She said one of her favorite things is working with her daughter Bethany Sisk on the project.

"We're doing it together," Altamam said.

 

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