Thanks to its new mail-order delivery, Sweet-n-Sassy Cupcakes on Main Street sends treats to customers all across the county.
On Feb. 14, the quaint cupcake place which opened one year ago this April on Main Street began shipping its cupcakes nationwide. Owners Michael and Tara Voigt, of Elkton, Md., discovered the market for successfully shipping baked goods was not solely meeting customer demand.
In a town where people want to send things home in the mail, finding a way to ship the cupcakes without them getting mangled was his personal challenge, Michael said.
"I knew what the problem was even before we started shipping them," he said.
Michael said he ordered cupcakes from various national bakeries, but they always arrived crushed, sideways or otherwise mangled. After discovering a safe shipping method, he said he sent test orders to friends and family in North Carolina, Florida, California and Ohio to see if they would arrive intact.
The cupcakes last up to two days without spoiling, he said. One-day shipping for door-to-door service from UPS costs $49, including the cupcakes and special packaging with ice and foil. To ship outside the mailing region, the cost is $79.
Cupcakes are the only product sold in the store that requires special packaging. If they arrive at their destination crushed or stale, the customer will receive a full refund, Voigt said.
"We believe that if you are paying that kind of money, you should get a perfect product," he said.
Kramer Bussel, a cupcake connoisseur from New York City whose blog "Cupcakes Take The Cake" recently commended the work of Sweet-N-Sassy, received one of the 15 pioneer shipments on Valentine's Day.
"I originally found out about Sweet-n-Sassy from a newspaper article, and have posted about them on our blog," Bussel stated in an e-mail message. "My co-blogger is from Newark, Del., so she has visited the store. They have sent us T-shirts and recently sent me a package of one dozen Valentine's Day cupcakes."
Bussel said she is interested in the trend of mailing cupcakes and after seeing the presentation by Sweet-n-Sassy, she would happily send cupcakes for a gift.
"They were beautiful and very elaborate, with flags detailing the flavor for each one, and all the decorations were perfectly intact," Bussel said. "I was very impressed with the way they were set in the box, with reinforcements used to keep them steady.
Blaire Galaton, radio host for Philadelphia's Q102, stated in an e-mail message that she is a huge fan of cupcakes. She said she received a shipment in perfect condition from Sweet-n-Sassy on Valentine's Day and mentioned it that day on the air.
"I did also document a video on our Web site that day that Sweet-n-Sassy brought cupcakes," Galaton said. "I also put the link to their site on our site, and I know that increased their Web traffic as they e-mailed me to tell me.
"I think mail order cupcakes are a great idea."
Bussell said notable bakeries like Williams-Sonoma and online shops like Fat Daddy Bakeshop on Etsy.com are also participating in this trend of mailing baked goods to customers.
Alex Martinez, a freshman from Delaware County, Pa. and employee of Sweet-n-Sassy, said it was "cool" that the small shop could ship its products nationally.
"I would send them for birthdays, anniversaries or regular occasions," Martinez said.
Freshman Mitchell Ventresca of Newark said last year he gave his mother a gift certificate to Bath & Body Works for her birthday, but said sending cupcakes to her would be a good idea in the future.
"I would probably still ship them," he said, even though he lives close to home.
Michael said Sweet-n-Sassy is not widely promoting the shipping option until their new "e-commerce" Web site, which will allow online ordering, is up and running in the next four to six weeks.
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