SEATTLE — A bittersweet goodbye, from a Ballard staple.
Seattle’s first cupcake bakery closed one of its most popular locations on Sunday, the Cupcake Royale Ballard location.
"Ballard is where this revolution began, it really put us on the map," said Jody Hall, the CEO/Founder of Cupcake Royale. “People thought I was crazy, to think about made-from-scratch cake, served one at a time, just this nostalgic idea and it blew up and it's been an incredible ride."
Since 2004, the Ballard location has been the headquarters of the beloved business. But Hall said it's time to move on.
"This is our biggest footprint, this is 3,500 square feet, a whole upstairs office, a walk-in fridge/freezer that costs $1,000 a month just to power and we don't use it," Hall said. "We need a smaller setup."
And as long lines of customers on Sunday showed. Many will miss the treat of going to this local spot. Which has created memories that will last a lifetime.
"Profoundly honored to have our cupcakes be a part of incredibly important cherished moments in our life,” Hall said. “A baby, a wedding, meeting your sweet special someone."
Cupcake Royale has four other locations throughout the Seattle area. Hall said she's not closing the door on returning to Ballard.
"We built this revolution together, and you all were part of it here, in Ballard and in Seattle, and thank you, thank you so much we're going to keep going and keep being a part of creating a great community," Hall said.
According to Hall, the next tenant in the space will be a donut shop, called "Dough Joy." She expects the business will open in the next month or so.