Building Business Value Blog

Johnny Cupcakes - a Recipe for Success?

On a recent business trip to Boston, I was fortunate enough to have my family tag along.  We took an extra couple of days and force marched the kids through the Freedom Trial, took a ferry to Salem and made a visit to the Harvard campus (hey, you never know!)

From my fourteen year old son's perspective, the highlight of the trip was a pilgrimage to Johnny Cupcakes.  Don't be confused.  Johnny Cupcakes is not a bakery, but rather a very cool T-shirt shop located in Boston's trendy shopping district, Newbury Street.  We bought a couple of T-shirts and were blown away by this unique store.  It had all the trappings of a bakery, but instead of cupcakes in the fridge and display cases, we found shirts and apparel that appeals to the young at heart.

So the obvious question to me was -  what drives value for Johnny Cupcakes?  Much of their success seems to be viral.  You sense an undercurrent of support.  Drawing people like my son from all over the world.  They certainly are unique but in no way pretentious and even a dad (me) was comfortable paying $24-35 for a piece of art that you just happen to wear.  Their customer service was great and they seem to revel in watching confused tourists enter the store looking for the perfect snack!  Their product is unique, comfortable and makes a fashion statement.

Time will tell if founder Johnny Earle will be the next Bert and John Jacobs of Life is Good, but he certainly seems to be off to a great start.