Johnny Cupcakes
Encyclopedia
Johnny Cupcakes, Inc. is a clothing brand founded in 2001 by Johnny Earle. The clothing line uses cupcake
s as the prominent design motif of its merchandise, often replacing iconic symbols with cupcakes. The brand's insignia
is a skull and crossbones, with a cupcake silhouette replacing the skull.
The Johnny Cupcakes line includes t-shirts, shorts, sweaters, jewelry, undergarments, and pins. Its flagship stores are located in Boston, Massachusetts
and Los Angeles
, California
, with another shop in Hull
, Massachusetts and another opening London
's Carnaby Street
. All Johnny Cupcakes retail shops are furnished extensively according to a bakery
theme.
music shop in Braintree
, Massachusetts. Each day, his co-workers would coin a new nickname for him: Johnny Appleseed, Johnny Pancakes, Johnny Cupcakes, Johnny Coffeecakes, etc.
In 2001, while ordering screen-printed shirts for the metalcore
band he played in, (On Broken Wings
) Earle ran off a few shirts designed with the "Johnny Cupcakes" nickname. Almost immediately, co-workers and store customers noticed the cupcakes-themed shirts whenever he wore them, and many inquired about how to purchase them. Sensing the demand, Earle started selling the shirts from the trunk of his car to local friends and acquaintances.
When On Broken Wings signed with a record label
and began touring in 2002, Earle stuffed his suitcase full of Johnny Cupcakes shirts to sell at shows and give to other musicians on the bill. This helped expose his designs to new audiences across the country, and the brand began to develop a cult following
. The following year, Earle quit the band to focus full-time on his fledgling business.
. By this time, he had decided to keep his merchandise out of chain stores and sell it exclusively through his own shops. After a year of growing sales and popularity, he opened another Johnny Cupcakes boutique
on Boston's chic Newbury Street
. The grand opening of the second location drew several hundred fans and the store recorded five-figure sales revenues on the first day alone.
Wanting to deliver a unique customer experience, Earle designed his stores with a classic bakery motif. The interior decor at Johnny Cupcakes boutiques features antique refrigerators, baking racks, a 1930's dough mixer
, (Boston location) a cast-iron wood-burning oven from the 1890s, (also at the Boston location) and even hidden vanilla-scented air fresheners; items are usually displayed on baking trays
and inside glass pastry cases. The stores' prominent baking theme often confuses unfamiliar patrons who walk in thinking that they sell baked goods, not clothing. Earle says this tends to disappoint and even anger some passersby, though the shops do give out free cupcakes with purchases on occasion.
In 2008, a third Johnny Cupcakes store opened on Melrose Avenue
in Los Angeles. To build the L.A. shop, Earle says he enlisted the help of an engineering firm that designed structures for the Disneyland and Universal Studios theme parks to "bring my crazy ideas to life." Similarly to the Boston location, the L.A. grand opening attracted hundreds of customers (including some who camped out for days beforehand) and saw the company's most successful single-day sales figures.
On the 12th of March 2011, the London store opened with hundreds of dedicated fans from around the world queuing up and camping
for more than 24 hours. The queue stretched back to Regent Street
and wrapped around the corner.
In addition to the four retail locations, Johnny Cupcakes continues to sell items through its online store and a company "eBay
Vault" which offers previously issued designs and exclusive items that were briefly or never available in its stores.
placed Earle at the top of its "Best Entrepreneurs 25 and Under" list, highlighting his company's quality products, imaginative promotion, and insistence on self-sustenance. The publication also cited Johnny Cupcakes' rising annual revenue and steadfast customer loyalty as further examples of Earle's notability as a business owner.
Earlier on, Johnny Cupcakes started getting noticed for its highly effective branding
and "brazen" steps taken to make a name for itself. After the company's success in Boston and the greater New England
area, Earle regularly received requests from high schools and universities to speak about entrepreneur
ship and running a small business. The demand for Earle to speak has grown so much recently that a separate "Lectures" section was created on his company web site in late 2009 to field inquiries.
In 2009, Johnny Cupcakes was placed at #237 on the Inc. 500
list of fastest growing private companies in the U.S. The magazine listed the clothing brand as having a nearly 915% growth rate over the previous year.
Cupcake
A cupcake is a small cake designed to serve one person, frequently baked in a small, thin paper or aluminum cup...
s as the prominent design motif of its merchandise, often replacing iconic symbols with cupcakes. The brand's insignia
Insignia
Insignia or insigne pl -nia or -nias : a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction...
is a skull and crossbones, with a cupcake silhouette replacing the skull.
The Johnny Cupcakes line includes t-shirts, shorts, sweaters, jewelry, undergarments, and pins. Its flagship stores are located in Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, with another shop in Hull
Hull, Massachusetts
Hull is a peninsula town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,293 at the 2010 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Plymouth County and the fourth smallest in the state...
, Massachusetts and another opening London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in London, United Kingdom, located in the Soho district, near Oxford Street and Regent Street. It is home to numerous fashion and lifestyle retailers, including a large number of independent fashion boutiques...
. All Johnny Cupcakes retail shops are furnished extensively according to a bakery
Bakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
theme.
Origins
Earle says he initially started the Johnny Cupcakes brand "as a complete joke." The clothing line has its origins back in 2000 when Earle worked at the Newbury ComicsNewbury Comics
Newbury Comics is a New England-based music retailer. Newbury Comics began as a comic book vendor on Newbury Street in Boston. The company was founded in 1978 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology students John Brusger and Mike Dreese. Over the next few years, the focus of the company changed...
music shop in Braintree
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
, Massachusetts. Each day, his co-workers would coin a new nickname for him: Johnny Appleseed, Johnny Pancakes, Johnny Cupcakes, Johnny Coffeecakes, etc.
In 2001, while ordering screen-printed shirts for the metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
band he played in, (On Broken Wings
On Broken Wings
On Broken Wings is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts that formed in 2001. Often credited with pioneering the sound, and coining the term, of Moshcore, a term originally used by the band to describe their fusion of metal with elements of post-hardcore and hardcore breakdowns...
) Earle ran off a few shirts designed with the "Johnny Cupcakes" nickname. Almost immediately, co-workers and store customers noticed the cupcakes-themed shirts whenever he wore them, and many inquired about how to purchase them. Sensing the demand, Earle started selling the shirts from the trunk of his car to local friends and acquaintances.
When On Broken Wings signed with a record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and began touring in 2002, Earle stuffed his suitcase full of Johnny Cupcakes shirts to sell at shows and give to other musicians on the bill. This helped expose his designs to new audiences across the country, and the brand began to develop a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
. The following year, Earle quit the band to focus full-time on his fledgling business.
Growth and Success
In 2005, Earle opened the first Johnny Cupcakes store in his hometown of Hull after working with his father to convert it from a boat garage into a retail spaceRetailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
. By this time, he had decided to keep his merchandise out of chain stores and sell it exclusively through his own shops. After a year of growing sales and popularity, he opened another Johnny Cupcakes boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
on Boston's chic Newbury Street
Newbury Street (Boston)
Newbury Street is located in the Back Bay area of Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. It runs roughly east-to-west, from the Boston Public Garden to Massachusetts Ave. The road crosses many major arteries along its path, with an entrance to the Mass Pike westbound at Mass Ave...
. The grand opening of the second location drew several hundred fans and the store recorded five-figure sales revenues on the first day alone.
Wanting to deliver a unique customer experience, Earle designed his stores with a classic bakery motif. The interior decor at Johnny Cupcakes boutiques features antique refrigerators, baking racks, a 1930's dough mixer
Dough blender
A dough mixer is an appliance used for household or industrial purposes. It is used for kneading large quantities of dough. It is electrical, having timers and various controls to suit the user's needs. Some of the special features are:...
, (Boston location) a cast-iron wood-burning oven from the 1890s, (also at the Boston location) and even hidden vanilla-scented air fresheners; items are usually displayed on baking trays
Sheet pan
Sheet pans, baking trays or baking sheets are flat, rectangular metal pans used in an oven. They are primarily used for baking flat products such as cookies, sheet cakes, and swiss rolls....
and inside glass pastry cases. The stores' prominent baking theme often confuses unfamiliar patrons who walk in thinking that they sell baked goods, not clothing. Earle says this tends to disappoint and even anger some passersby, though the shops do give out free cupcakes with purchases on occasion.
In 2008, a third Johnny Cupcakes store opened on Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue is an internationally renowned shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts from Santa Monica Boulevard at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and ends at Lucille Avenue in Silver Lake...
in Los Angeles. To build the L.A. shop, Earle says he enlisted the help of an engineering firm that designed structures for the Disneyland and Universal Studios theme parks to "bring my crazy ideas to life." Similarly to the Boston location, the L.A. grand opening attracted hundreds of customers (including some who camped out for days beforehand) and saw the company's most successful single-day sales figures.
On the 12th of March 2011, the London store opened with hundreds of dedicated fans from around the world queuing up and camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
for more than 24 hours. The queue stretched back to Regent Street
Regent Street
Regent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London's West End, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations...
and wrapped around the corner.
In addition to the four retail locations, Johnny Cupcakes continues to sell items through its online store and a company "eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
Vault" which offers previously issued designs and exclusive items that were briefly or never available in its stores.
Recognition
In 2008, BusinessWeekBusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
placed Earle at the top of its "Best Entrepreneurs 25 and Under" list, highlighting his company's quality products, imaginative promotion, and insistence on self-sustenance. The publication also cited Johnny Cupcakes' rising annual revenue and steadfast customer loyalty as further examples of Earle's notability as a business owner.
Earlier on, Johnny Cupcakes started getting noticed for its highly effective branding
Brand management
Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand.The discipline of brand management was started at Procter & Gamble as a result of a famous memo by Neil H...
and "brazen" steps taken to make a name for itself. After the company's success in Boston and the greater New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area, Earle regularly received requests from high schools and universities to speak about entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
ship and running a small business. The demand for Earle to speak has grown so much recently that a separate "Lectures" section was created on his company web site in late 2009 to field inquiries.
In 2009, Johnny Cupcakes was placed at #237 on the Inc. 500
Inc. (magazine)
Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is a monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the "Inc...
list of fastest growing private companies in the U.S. The magazine listed the clothing brand as having a nearly 915% growth rate over the previous year.