Sad news: Saint Cupcake and Coastal Cupcakes are closing

For many, it's the most wonderful time of the year. For two cupcake bakeries with multiple locations, Saint Cupcake in Portland, Oregon, where I hosted a cupcake meetup several years ago, and Coastal Cupcakes in Wilmington, North Carolina, it's time to move on from cupcakes, and for their customers to find somewhere new to shop (though Coastal Cupcakes will still do custom orders and is having a 25% off sale, see below).

From The Oregonian:

Saint Cupcake, which opened in 2005, rode the nation’s budding cupcake passion to a pair of Portland locations, producing nearly six million hand-held cakes along the way. Yet earlier today, owner Jami Curl told The Oregonian she plans to close her Saint Cupcake for good at the end of the year.

For Portland, it spells the end of one of the city's best-known cupcake brands. Nationally, it comes as some pundits have argued that the cupcake bubble has finally burst.

And from Star News Online:

Coastal Cupcakes owner Kristen Beckmeyer announced Wednesday that her popular bakery would be suspending retail sales on Jan. 1 to focus energies on an emerging business opportunity.

Beckmeyer recently launched Topsee Tulip Frosting, a four-ingredient, all-natural cake topping, and she said sales have been surprisingly brisk. Her first retail partner was a local Lowes Foods, and it went on the shelves there on Nov. 17. In the following weeks, she's added another 16 Lowes spots and four Whole Foods.

Follow Saint Cupcake's website and Coastal Cupcakes on Facebook for the latest news.

The way their cupcakes were:




Ho ho ho cupcakes by Coastal Cupcakes via their Facebook page and their 25% sale news (go to Facebook to see the larger version)


Valentine's Day xo cupcakes by Saint Cupcake via their Facebook page